The Adventures of Littlefoot and Ali
by pokeplayer984
Summary: Ali and Ret get seperated from their herd. What adventures await them in the valley while they wait for their herd? Contains Littlefoot&Ali&Ret. Rated for later violence and death.
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! This is a brand new fic from pokeplayer984! It is a Romance/Adventure fic for Littlefoot and Ali.

Now, before we begin, I will inform to those that are new to my stories, there are a few ground rules when reviewing.

1: Do not flame, bash, spam or troll under ANY circumstances. There is absolutely NO reason for it, and if you do, I'm sure the mods will be more than happy to deal with you. However, creative critizisim is completely allowed.

2: Do not cirtizie me for length of the chapters. I have a tendacy to write short chapters. I set a plot for every chapter and once it's fulfilled, it ends. This, often times, causes short chapters within my stories. So just throw that "Not Long Enough" comment out the window and deal with it.

3: Hate speeches are prohibited. I will be putting EVERY LBT Charcter into this story at one point or another, and I am going to go further in rating than the franchise, so I know I am bound to have hate speeches posted here. We don't like them and we don't want them, so forget it.

4: Aside from the above rules, comment as you wish.

Okay, now with the rules out of the way, let's get the old legal mumbo-jumbo out of the way.

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction of the LBT Franchise. All LBT-related charcters featured in this fic are property of Universal Studios and their related companies. I hold no relationship to them whatsoever, nor do I own anything of theirs. This fanfic is not being made for the purpose of a profit but for the purpose of entertainment. All legal rights reserved.

Well, that's all that's nessacary. So, without further ado, here's my first full fic for LBT.

Enjoy!

**The Adventures of Littlefoot and Ali**

**Prologue**

The desert wind blew sand around the traveling migrating herd of nearly a hundred longnecks total. The leader of the herd, who was very old with age, braved through the sandstorm as she guided the herd to the next destination. Within the herd of longnecks, one of the young ones was walking right behind her mother to keep as much sand as possible out of her eyes. She grunted against the wind and spat out in disgust at any sand that got in her mouth.

She really didn't like the idea of traveling through a sandstorm. It was nothing new to her, but the storm was getting rather relentless. It was near a point where it would be foolish to continue, and the young female seemed to sense this somehow.

"Mother, could you tell the Old One to stop? I think the 'sand wind' is getting too rough!" She yelled in a pleading tone.

"I'll try, Ali!" Her mother promised to her.

The adult female walked as fast as she could to catch up with the leader. It didn't take her long to reach the Old One.

"Old One!" She yelled, getting the leader's attention. "Little Ali thinks the wind is getting too rough to continue! Perhaps we should stop!" She suggested.

The leader known to the herd as Old One started to consider her thought. She wanted her herd to make it to the next destination quickly, for they were within the area where getting attacked by sharpteeth was highly possible. Even though the sandstorm was good cover for them, it indeed seemed foolish to continue.

She nodded at the suggestion. "Listen up, everyone! We're going to stop until the storm settles! Rest until then!" She commanded.

The rest of the herd gave a silent sigh of relief and settled down to rest.

"Thank you, Old One!" Ali's mother sighed, feeling grateful.

"We can't risk losing the children. They're the future of this herd." She said as she went away to rest herself.

Ali sighed in grateful relief. While within dangerous areas, the herd would circle around the children when they rested. This was mainly for the purpose of being protected from predators. However, it also provided protection from wind and heat.

Ali looked around at the other longneck children within the protective circle. Some were younger than she was and some were older, but all were strong enough to keep up with the herd.

"Hey, Ali!" A young male voice called to her.

Ali looked in the direction of the voice and smiled when she saw her friend. "Hi, Ret!" She greeted back. "I'm glad we got to rest. I really hated getting all that sand in my mouth. Ugh!" She complained in disgust.

The leaf green-eyed male laughed at the turquoise-green eyed female. "Yeah, so did I!"

They were about to continue in their conversation when they suddenly started to feel the ground rumble beneath them. The shaking within the earth and the fear in the two longnecks started to intensify. The ground started to shake beneath them.

The entire herd was stunned by fear as the earth shook vigorously beneath them. Cracks started to appear on the ground, ripping it apart with unknown strength. The cracks came towards the herd of longnecks.

"Everyone, run!" Old One commanded.

The order knocked the herd back to their senses and they started to run, kicking up sand in their wake. Ali and Ret were in the path of the dust and it got into their eyes and mouth, causing them to cough while rubbing their eyes. Being temporarily blind, the two longnecks could not see the crack that was headed towards them.

"Ali, Ret, run!" Ali's mother called out.

However, it was too late. The ground split beneath the two. Ali's mother could only watch helplessly as her only daughter fell into the depths of the earth.

---End Prologue---  
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Hope you enjoyed that.

I'll post the next chapter next week.

Anyways, please review.

See ya later!


	2. Lost & Broken

Okay, here's where things start to get interesting. ;)  
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**Chapter 1**

**Lost & Broken**

Deep within the new chasm, it was extremely dark, hardly showing any light. Ali's mother sorrowfully looked down into it and couldn't see the bottom.

"Ali, dear! Ali, can you hear me? Ali!" She called out.

Only her echo called her back. The brontosaurus started to cry for her loss. Old One walked up to the tearful mother and rubbed her head along her own in a sign of comfort. She did this with those that had previously lost someone as her duty to being the leader of the herd.

"It's going to be okay. You have to have faith that she is still alive, dear." She said soothingly.

Ali's mother sniffed, forced back the tears in her eyes and nodded at her wise leader.

"Everyone, let's start our search to get to the young ones. Hopefully they can find a way out and get back to us safely." She told the herd.

Everyone nodded and the herd began their mission to be reunited with the ones that were recently lost.

Meanwhile inside the chasm, the two young longnecks laid on the ground in mild unconsciousness. Ret was the first to awaken. He shook his head to wake himself up as he groaned in pain.

"Ow! That hurt!" He complained.

He looked up and could not see the top of the area they had fallen into. He struggled to stand, but was able to do so. He shook his head again and looked around the new cave. He noticed the area held multiple paths. There was no way to tell which direction would be the best to take.

Ret continued to look around the dark cave. His eyes suddenly fell upon something that brought fear into his heart. He spotted Ali lying on the ground in a state of unconsciousness. What really scared him was that the legs looked like they were in an unnatural position. Hoping she was still alive, Ret rushed up to her.

"Ali? Ali, are you okay?" He asked worriedly, shaking her.

The shaking caused her to come out of her mild state of unconsciousness. She groaned and opened her eyes. Seeing this made Ret inwardly sigh in grateful relief.

"Ow! What happened, Ret?" Ali questioned.

Ret looked up and only came to one conclusion. "It looks like that 'earthshake' caused us to fall into an underground cave."

"We've got to find a way to get back to our herd." Ali told him.

She started to try and get up, but the moment she put weight onto her foot, pain rang through her body.

"Ow!" She cried as she collapsed back onto the ground.

"You okay, Ali?" Ret asked in concern.

"I think so." Ali said as she tried starting with one of her other feet and met the same result. "Ow!" She cried as she fell to the ground again. "No! I don't think so!"

Ret leaned closer to her and carefully examined the legs. "I think they might be broken." He concluded.

"Great! Just great! If sharpteeth were around, I'd be nothing more than dinner for them." She complained.

Ret sighed. "We have to get back to the herd."

"But I can't walk like this!" She sighed in sadness.

Ret looked at her in concern. He had to think of some way to get both him and Ali back to their family. Suddenly, an idea hit him. One that seemed a little uncomfortable to him, but one he was willing to go through nonetheless.

Ret turned around and so that his back was facing Ali. "Ali, climb onto my back! I'll carry you back to the herd." He instructed her.

Ali was shocked by this decision he had made. "Are you sure you can carry me? I mean, I'm not the lightest thing in the world, and carrying someone my size for too long could injure your back."

"You want to be stuck in this cave forever?"

"Well, no!"

"Then do it!"

She obeyed, crawling up to him and then, using the muscles in her upper body, she hoisted herself onto his back. Feeling her starting to climb on, Ret braced his body for the great amount of weight it was about to receive. Ali got on and carefully adjusted her body into the most comfortable position possible that was also easiest for Ret.

"Okay Ret, I'm on!" She told him.

"Then let's get out of here!" Ret said.

"Do you have the slightest idea of where to go?"

"No!" He simply said in disappointment.

"Just great!" She sighed in equal disappointment.

Hours into the walk and the duo of longnecks were just as hopelessly lost as when they had started. For all they knew, they could've been going in circles the whole time, especially with the fact that there were multiple paths to take within the chasm. Ali hated being able to do nothing more than just lie on her friend's back as Ret led the way.

"So, where do you think this cave leads?" She asked, trying to start a conversation to get rid of her boredom.

"Hopefully back to the herd, or at least to somewhere where we can find someone who can mend your broken legs." He said.

They then came to yet another fork in the path, just like the many others they had come across. One path was leading up, while the other was leading down.

"Now which way?" Ali questioned.

"This way!" He concluded, taking the path to the right, which led upward.

Ali was a little concerned as to whether or not they were going the right way, but she kept quiet, putting her full trust in her friend. However, the path they took soon led to the top of a steep hill. Ret and Ali both looked down and could tell that someone could climb down it, if they were cautious. However, it was also very easy to slip and the two longnecks knew well that, with Ret carrying Ali, it was not very wise to even try it.

"Guess we're gonna have to go back." Ret said.

Ali nodded and Ret turned around, but his back right foot started to slip when he accidentally touched the edge of the steep hill. This caused his back left foot to slip and as a result, caused the two to suddenly slip down the steep hill. The two longnecks gasped and screamed in terror as they slid down the hill.

The hill soon led to a small ledge that was completely horizontal. The velocity the longneck duo was traveling at caused them to go flying off the ledge and into the air. Gravity soon took over their bodies and caused them to fall to the earth.

The two longnecks soon hit, but it wasn't the ground they had landed on. It was something a little soft that had actually cushioned their fall and saved their lives. Suddenly, what they had landed on started to move and roll over, causing them to hit the ground. The two looked up at a creature that was obviously old of age due to the many wrinkles they could see. The thing that gave its species away was the many bumps along the back that led to the tail.

"Oh, sorry for landing on you, sir." Ali apologized.

"Humph! And what might you kids be doing here?" The stranger asked.

"Well, we got separated from our herd by a terrible earthshake, and we've been looking for them since."

"Hmm. Well, I can't say that I've seen any longneck herds around recently. I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Maybe you can." Ret said, approaching the unknown dinosaur. "Do you know of a safe place where we can go? My friend's leg got broken during the earthshake and we need to find someone who can mend it."

"Hmm. I think I might know a place." He said, smiling at the kids. "Climb on!" He said and the two obeyed, grateful they could find a somewhere safe.

"By the way, I'm Ali, and this is my friend, Ret." Ali told him.

"I'm Rooter!" He greeted. The trio then began their trek. "You know, Ali, you seem to remind me of someone I once ran into." He began, getting a conversation going.

---End Chapter 1---

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Well, there ya go! What do you think?

Please review.

See ya later!


	3. The Fight to Safety

Well, here it is, the next chapter.

Enjoy!  
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**Chapter 2 **

**The Fight to Safety**

As the trio traveled through the barren wasteland, the new comer Rooter was telling his passengers a little tale of his.

"One day I was resting and this little longneck fell on me. I'm not sure who he was, but when I saw him crying, I wondered what his problem was. He told me that he had just lost his mother from a sharptooth and blamed all of his pain on his mother. I then told him that it was nobody's fault. That it was part of The Great Circle of Life. Also that he would always have a part of her in his heart. I can only hope that I made things better for the young lad."

"So, you don't know who he was at all?" Ali asked Rooter after hearing his tale.

"Not the slightest clue."

Ali thought about the story for a bit. Somehow, it triggered a memory from her past. It was back to when it was her first visit to a place called, "The Great Valley".

She and her newly made friend, Littlefoot, a longneck just like her but male, were traveling through a desert back to the place where Ali lived before her herd had to migrate everywhere. They were traveling there to find a special flower that could cure the illness that Littlefoot's grandfather had gotten. Ali decided to start up a conversation while they were traveling.

"So you live with your grandparents, huh?" Ali asked.

"Yeah! It's great living with them!" Littlefoot answered her.

"What about your mom and dad? Don't you have one?"

At this point, Littlefoot's smile turned into a very sad frown and his eyes started to swell with tears.

"Is something wrong?" She questioned when she saw her friend's sudden facial change.

"It's just that, I'm not sure what happened to my dad, but my mother was killed right in front of me."

"What? How?" She asked, being rather shocked.

"It was a sharptooth. Cera and me were playing together when he came. We ran for a thorn bush and thought we were safe. However, this sharptooth was smarter than we expected. He started to crawl through an opening that was just big enough for him. We were saved by a one of the thorny vines. When it seemed like he had stopped, we took our chance to get out. I tried to lead Cera away, but she took the wrong path and I went after her. The sharptooth nearly got us and I got caught in some vines. I was able to get out and when we were clear of the thorn bush, the sharptooth jumped and nearly landed on us. That's when my mother showed up and attacked him. Through the fight, it looked like my mother was going to win. However, things suddenly took a turn for the worst when the sharptooth jumped and landed on her back. He then proceeded to bite and slash at my mother. I had never seen such a more horrible sight. All that blood! Ugh!" He shivered in disgust at remembering such a thing. He then continued his story.

"Anyways, after that, a terrible earthshake happened. It was the worst one I had ever been through in my life. It had changed the land completely and split families apart. It even separated my friends from their families and split me from my grandparents. During the earthshake, Cera and me had ended up near the sharptooth. If I hadn't called out to my mother, I think we'd be dead by now. My mother knocked the sharptooth off a cliff and led me to safety while Cera left to find her family. Somehow, my mother and me also got temporarily separated near the end of the earthshake. When it was finally over, I searched for my mother. I eventually found her and could tell that she was very weak. She asked me if I remembered the way to The Great Valley. I was so worried about whether or not she would be okay that The Great Valley was the last thing on my mind. In her last words, she told me that she would always be with me. She then died right in front of me."

Ali now regretted ever asking him. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Littlefoot." She apologized with her face being slightly pale from hearing such a detailed sad story.

"It's okay, Ali." He reassured her.

"Do you miss her?"

"Every day!"

"Must be hard for you to live with that awful memory."

"It's okay! My friends help me feel better whenever I'm unhappy."

"They must be great friends to do that for you."

"The best! They'd be to you too if you just gave them the chance."

Ali contemplated this thought of making friends with different species. She started to wonder if it was actually a good thing. The memory ended there.

As the memory faded from her, Ali turned her attention back to the spikeback that was carrying them. "You know, I actually have this friend that's my age that had also lost his mother from a sharptooth. He could probably be the same one you met."

Hearing this had made Rooter chuckle at her. "Young one, there are many children that have lost a member of their family by means of a sharptooth. It's more than likely a coincidence." He pointed out.

"But what if it's not? What if we both know the same longneck?"

"Well then I would like to talk to the little lad and see how he's doing. I especially wonder if he ever got over his mother's death."

Ali smiled. "I'm pretty sure he-"

"Could you two keep it down? I'm trying to get some rest!" Ret complained, interrupting Ali. "I'm exhausted from having to carry you around, Ali!" He then turned his back to her and tried to get back to sleep.

"I'm sorry, Ret, but I warned you that I wasn't the lightest thing in the world."

"Yeah, well… I didn't want to leave you in that cave so you could end up as food to a sharptooth!"

"It's very sweet what you've been doing for me, Ret."

"Well, you'd do the same for me. We're best friends, right?"

"Sounds like you two are more than just friends." Rooter joked.

The old spikeback didn't need to look to tell that his two passengers were blushing.

"Just shut up and let me rest, okay?" Ret yelled furiously and tried to get back to sleep.

Rooter just chuckled and continued on their journey.

High upon a cliff, which was over a pool of deep water, within a dark cave, a raptor looked around the area as a lookout. The Utahraptor scanned the vast wasteland for any potential prey. He heard his stomach growl with want. Hunting was never easy for a predator in this place where vegetation never grew. His keen cat-like eyes suddenly spotted something down below. Stopping to get a drink inside the pool of water was a spikeback. The raptor studied the new prey to oblige how to attack. He concluded that he would need help, considering that it looked old, but tough.

Before he decided to leave to get his clan, he spotted something. On top of the spikeback, two longnecks were resting, probably tired from a long journey. He smiled with glee. It seemed that there would be a respectable appetizer before going on to the main course. Seeing this, he rushed to get his clan.

Back down near the pool, Rooter was resting and enjoying a much-welcomed drink. Ali looked down at the pool of water. Her mouth was dry from the earlier sandstorm she had to travel through before getting separated from her herd.

"Thirsty, young ones?" Rooter asked.

"Yes! Very!" Ali said with a grateful smile.

"I'm pretty thirsty myself." Ret said as he got down from the spikeback.

While Ret jumped down and walked up to the pool of water, Ali dragged herself off Rooter and over to the pool of water. She then completely submerged her head into the liquid and began to greedily drink it in huge gulps. It wasn't long before her lungs reminded her of needing oxygen and she had to come up for air. She surfaced and started to breathe heavily as Ret and Rooter laughed at her.

"Gee, what were you planning to do, drink it all?" Ret joked.

Ali giggled. "I guess!"

Suddenly, the three heard a thunderous roar, which made them gasp in a mixture of shock and fear. They looked up the rocky wall next to the pool to see a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the top of the cliff, looking down at them.

Ali gasped again. "A sharptooth!"

"It'll come for us if we don't hurry!" Rooter said. "Climb on, kids!"

The two longnecks got back onto the old spikeback.

"Hang on! We're gonna make a run for it!"

Rooter started to run towards their destination. However, it wasn't long before they were stopped by two raptors jumping in front of them. One was gray while the other was green. The gray Utahraptor hissed at them, while the green one dug his flexible toe claws into the ground for better traction.

Rooter started to back up, when he heard a growl and looked behind him to spot the same Tyrannosaurus Rex they had seen at the top of the cliff. Upon closer examination, they could see that he was light green colored and had yellow cat-like eyes. However, the one thing that made him stand out from all other members of his species was a long scar that extended from his eye, which was blood red, and down to his middle claw.

Ali gulped. She remembered that Littlefoot had warned her on her previous visit about this sharptooth that was in the Mysterious Beyond. He was known around the world as Red Claw.

They were so afraid that they had almost forgotten how to breathe. Rooter knew he couldn't make any attempt to attack because it would put Ali and Ret into great danger. A part of him thought this was would be where he would meet the end of his long life.

The raptors charged towards them and were about to pounce when a large tail hit the two raptors and sent them flying. The next thing they noticed, a very tall longneck came by and rammed its head into Red Claw's stomach. This caused the T-Rex to fall to his knees and start to breathe heavily for air.

The stranger bent it's neck around and went to eye level with that of Ali and Ret. They could tell that this longneck was rather young and had a more feminine look.

"You okay?" The longneck asked in a calm sweet tone.

"Yeah! Thanks!" Ali said.

"I'll take care of this big brute!"

"But…"

"Don't worry, I can handle these sharpteeth! Now, go!"

Rooter didn't object and started to run for safety as fast as his legs could carry him. It seemed like they would get away when the two same raptors jumped in front of them causing Rooter to come to a sliding halt. However, the sudden stop caused Ali slip off. Ret noticed this and quickly reacted, grabbing her tail with his mouth. Ali gasped when she felt her tail being clamped upon.

"Hang on, Ali!" Ret muffled while pulling her up.

Seeing, easy prey now, the raptors approached. The two were aiming for Ali and were about to pounce when another large tail hit them. Ali looked up to see an even taller longneck. In fact, it was the tallest one she had ever seen in her entire life. She had no idea that longnecks could grow to be that tall. She was finally pulled onto the safety of Rooter's back and continued to look at the tall longneck in amazement.

"You okay, little lady?" The longneck asked in a deep male voice at their eye level.

"Yes! Thank you!" Ali said.

The taller male longneck then turned to the tall but shorter than him female longneck. "Sue, how about we send these sharpteeth home with empty stomachs?"

"Gladly!" She said.

Sue reared up her tail and landed it at Red Claw's feet, causing him to trip and fall face first to the ground. The taller male longneck launched his own tail at the two raptors while they were starting to get up. This caused them to fly through the air and land sharply on Red Claw's back. The two raptors got off so Red Claw could get up. Red Claw stared angrily at the longneck couple.

"Want more?" Sue seriously questioned.

Red Claw let out a roar and retreated, knowing he was beat in this situation. The raptors let out a roar of defeat as they retreated as well.

Sue turned to the three she just saved. "Well, I'd say that takes care of those bullies." She said.

"Thanks for saving us again." Ali said.

"Glad to do it. After all, what's the point of having a tail like mine if you can't beat up bad-guys with it once in a while?"

Ali knew that was a joke and started to giggle.

"Well, time we headed back home to our little ones." The taller male longneck said to Sue, giving her an affectionate rub. That's all Ali needed to hear and see to know they were a couple with children.

"Yes, dear!" She said to him, accepting the rubbing. She then turned to the trio below. "Goodbye!"

Ali, Ret and Rooter said their good-byes and thanks as the proud mother and father left.

Once the two longnecks that saved them were a good distance away, Rooter spoke. "Well, let's go!" He said and headed towards their destination.

It was smooth sailing from there and it wasn't long before they finally arrived at where Rooter was taking them.

"Well, here we are!" He said.

Ali and Ret looked. They were shocked at what they saw. Below them was a vast valley of green that had trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Traveling through the valley was a stream that seemed to have water that was cleaner than any other source of water in the world. The stream continued, making multiple waterfalls along the way. A chain of mountains that seemed to never end surrounded the valley. One look and they could tell exactly where they were.

"We're… we're in The Great Valley!" Ali said, completely shocked by this discovery.

---End Chapter 2---

Well there ya go!

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, yes the fight scene with Littlefoot's Mother and Sharptooth did ORIGINALLY have a lot of blood, but Universal edited it out before the movie debuted in theaters to make it suitible for the age group they were aiming for.

Anyways, please review.

See ya later!


	4. The Unexpected Reunion

Well, here's the next one. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

**The Unexpected Reunion**

Ali looked down and could hardly believe it. Out of all the places in the world, she was back where all her friends were. She knew they would be very surprised to see her, Ret and Rooter. However, she wondered how they would react to how she was showing up again. She knew they would help her get back to normal health. However, a part of her wondered the exact way Littlefoot would react. She couldn't understand why she was so worried about the way Littlefoot would react. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she had feelings for Littlefoot. Ever since they first met, she had an interest in him, which might explain why she gave him a peck on the cheek when they first met. She decided to see what would happen when they met again.

As for Ret, he was especially surprised. This was the place where he met his first and only real friends. He must admit that, after all the lying he did, he was surprised they were willing to be his friends. He was especially surprised that it was Littlefoot who had invited him to play with them. They were such good friends to him that on that very day, he promised himself to start over with his own friendship he had developed with Ali and do it right. He had a lot to thank them for now, especially since he had now become closer to Ali because of it. He'd probably still be making up stories to try and impress her if it weren't for them. Indeed, he was truly grateful to have them as friends and could hardly wait to see them again now that they were here in The Great Valley.

"Well, let's go find you some help, Ali." Rooter said as they headed down to the valley below.

Meanwhile, within the valley, a group of young dinosaurs were playing together. They were playing a good old game of tag. As of now, a little orange threehorn, who was known as Cera, was currently "it". She had her target in sight, it was the small fast-footed green swimmer of the gang, she was known as Ducky. Ducky knew that if the possibly ten times bigger than her threehorn tagged her, she would be at the biggest disadvantage. However, Ducky was somewhat intelligent and had a way to avoid this. Cera then pounced towards her, thinking he had the little swimmer. However, this was the very thing Ducky was waiting for. At the last moment, she changed direction and ended up making Cera completely miss and hit someone else instead. She had ended up accidentally tackling a pink oviraptor that was known as Ruby. The two tumbled for only a second and ended up having Cera on top of Ruby.

"Ow!" Complained Ruby. "You know, a simple touch would've been better than a tackle would've been."

"Yeah, sorry!" Cera apologized. "I was chasing Ducky and she got out the way just as I was about to get her. So I guess you're 'it' now!" Cera then ran off so she wouldn't be tagged back.

"Not unless I tag you 'it' so I won't be 'it'!" She cheered as she gave chase.

Meanwhile, a small brown flyer by the name of Petrie was up in the sky to avoid being 'it'. He was always using this trick and so that no one could tag him. He watched as Ruby chased Cera. As they were running, a green spiketail, known as Spike, was simply walking by. Cera ran past him and Ruby decided to take this chance to tag him, which she did.

"Tag! You're 'it', Spike!"

Spike grunted happily and gave chase with a smile on his face. As Spike started to run around, he looked intently for his own target. He then spotted a young, violet colored T-Rex near by. The little sharptooth had made his temporary stay here in the scared place to leaf-eaters. During his stay, he had promised to only eat the bugs within the valley. For his young age, he could survive on them rather nicely. In fact, at this very moment, the young sharptooth was looking for something to eat by searching a hollowed out tree.

Spike saw this as an easy target and went for it. He walked forward carefully and when he believed to be close enough, he pounced at the young sharptooth. The small T-Rex didn't see Spike coming and was tackled to the ground easily.

At this point, Petrie swooped down to them. "Spike tag you! You 'it', Chomper!" He said.

Spike got off and ran away from Chomper. Chomper immediately got up, ready to play.

"Okay! Here I come!" Chomper called out as he ran onto the field.

There was one other in the group of children. Who had been remarkably evading everyone since the start of the game. He was a purplish-brown longneck known as Littlefoot. He had seen how the game was played out from the beginning. He had been able to make the others run into someone else when they were chasing him, thus making them 'it'.

However, he didn't realize that Chomper had a little plan to make Littlefoot 'it'. Using cover of the others happily running around in all directions, he carefully made his way to the longneck. Somehow, Littlefoot lost track of who was 'it' and was unaware that the small sharptooth was closing in on him. Chomper pounced at Littlefoot from behind, aiming for his neck. Littlefoot turned his head and noticed Chomper at the very last second. He bent his head down and made Chomper completely miss and hit the ground headfirst and causing him to also make a small ditch that made the young sharptooth get grass and dirt in his mouth.

Littlefoot laughed at him. "You missed me!" He cheered as he ran off.

Chomper spat out the dirt and grass in his mouth, got up, sneered at the longneck and gave chase again.

Meanwhile, Petrie decided to fly higher, and as he did, he spotted something in the distance that caught his attention. He noticed a spikeback that was coincidentally coming their way. However, something seemed out of place that really caught his attention. He saw that the spikeback was carrying someone. He wasn't quite sure who it was, but they looked familiar to him.

Petrie swooped closer to his friends. "Hey, guys!" He called out, trying to get their attention.

Everyone stopped playing the game of tag and turned to Petrie. "What is it, Petrie?" Cera asked, being a little irritated that their game was stopped.

"Someone coming!"

"Who is it, Petrie?" Littlefoot questioned.

"Me no, no, but they familiar!"

"They look familiar, Petrie?" Ducky asked.

"Yes!" Petrie nodded.

"Well, let's go see who it is!" Littlefoot said. "Lead the way, Petrie!"

Without another word, Petrie flew in the direction of the newcomers. As they headed in that direction, they soon saw someone.

"Hey, I think I see someone!" Littlefoot said.

"Yeah, but who is it?" Cera asked.

Ruby tried to look closer by squinting her eyes and putting her hand above them. "I don't know, but I think I see someone who I have seen before." She said.

They got closer and could finally make out who it was.

"It can't be!" Chomper said, a little surprised.

"Wouldn't she be with her herd if she was here?" Cera questioned, finally figuring out who it was.

"Yeah, she would be, but it looks like the girl we know that we all know." Ruby said.

"Me think it is her!" Petrie said, getting excited.

"Oh, it is her! It is! Yes, yes, yes!" Ducky cheered.

Spike looked on in disbelief one second and then in excited happiness the next.

Littlefoot was the one who was most shocked. He could hardly believe who was approaching them. Riding on the spikeback was the only girl longneck that was around his age that he was friends with and had feelings for.

He only said a single word. "Ali?"

---End Chapter 3---  
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Please review.

See ya later!


	5. The Welcomed Good News

I'm glad that you have been rather patient with me on this chapter.

Hope you enjoy it!  
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**Chapter 4**

**The Welcomed Good News**

Littlefoot looked towards the approaching spikeback and could hardly contain the excitement in the back of his head. For riding right on top of it was Ali, the very longneck he has had feelings for since the day they met. Not at all judging the situation, the group of seven rushed up to the spikeback that was approaching.

"Ali!" They all shouted.

"How are you?" "How did you get here?" "Why are you back so soon?" They all started asking at the same time once they reached her.

"Please, please, one at a time!" Ali begged as she started to feel a little overwhelmed.

"Guys!" Cera called out to them, getting their attention. "If we give her some room, I'm sure she can explain why she's here."

"Don't worry!" Another voice said. The gang looked to see another longneck jumping off the back of the spikeback. "We'll explain everything." He said, facing them with a smile on his face.

"Hey Ret!" "Hi, Ret!" "Hi, hi, hi!" "Hello, Ret!" They all greeted at once.

"Hi, everyone! Listen, it's great to see you all but right now Ali needs help."

"Ali needs help?" Littlefoot questioned with concern on his face.

Ret nodded. "Her legs are broken." He said in a serious but sad tone.

There were then large gasps of shock from the group.

"What?" Chomper asked.

"Oh no!" Ruby said with worry.

"Are you okay, Ali? Are you? Huh?" Ducky questioned in worry as she ran up to Ali.

Petrie swooped down, landed in front of Ali and examined her legs. "Hmm. They not look broken. They still attached."

"That's because they're broken on the inside, dummy!" Cera said, feeling irritated.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot was very shocked by the news so much that he was speechless. He wanted to react in a normal manner, but his body wouldn't allow it.

Ret just shook his head. 'How in the world does Littlefoot put up with friends like that?' He questioned himself in thought. He then turned his attention to Littlefoot. "Do you know anyone who can help us mend her legs?"

The question suddenly snapped Littlefoot back to reality. "Oh well, just about every grown-up in the valley, I think." He concluded.

"In that case, who's the closest?"

"That would be my Grandma and Grandpa. Come on, I'll take ya there!"

It wasn't too long until they all reached Littlefoot's nest where the two elders that were his guardians were in the middle of having a conversation with a female grown-up duckbill that happened to be the mother of Ducky.

"Grandma, Grandpa!" Littlefoot called out to them.

"Yes, Littlefoot?" Grandpa Longneck asked, turning to his grandson.

"Um, well, we have a real problem here."

From there, Littlefoot explained to his grandparents that Ali had returned, but with broken legs. Seeing the situation, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck had Ducky's mother get the necessary supplies needed to mend the leg while Ali explained to them all that had happened. While Ali told the story, Rooter had carefully set her down on the ground and listened as well. It was a while before Ali finished her story, because she hardly left out any details. The small things she did leave out were their conversations that were of little importance to the story. By the time she was done, her legs had been tied around with special plants to help the legs heal faster and put together with mud to really hold it all in place, thus creating a brownish colored cast.

"And well, that's the whole story." Ali concluded.

"This is very serious." Grandpa Longneck said.

"Yes, we must make sure that Ali and Ret get back to their herd." Grandma Longneck agreed.

"We'll send out every flyer that is willing to find them. Hopefully, they will find your herd and lead them here to get you."

"In that case, how long until my legs are well enough to walk on them again?" Ali asked.

Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Don't worry. They all only have a mild sprain and, thanks to the plants we've applied to them, should be good enough to walk on by tomorrow morning."

Ali sighed in relief. "Well that's good news. For a little bit, I thought that I would never be able to walk again."

Grandma Longneck chuckled. "It takes more than a fall to keep any members of your herd down, including you, Ali." She said soothingly.

Ali blushed; feeling a little embarrassed by the compliment. "Um, thanks, I guess!"

Meanwhile, Littlefoot was contemplating a little something in his head. He wanted to be around his friend as much as possible, knowing that she most likely wouldn't be around for long. So, with that thought in mind, he decided to ask her something.

"Ali?" Littlefoot asked.

"Yes, Littlefoot?" She questioned.

"You and Ret are going to be here for a while, right?"

"Well, with how little Ret, Rooter and I traveled, I probably will only be around for a few days."

Even though his face didn't show it, Littlefoot felt a bit disappointed. He really wanted her to stay longer. He wasn't being greedy or anything in the wrong manner, just that he wanted to spend a lot of time with her.

"Well, I was just wondering, at least until your herd comes to pick you up, would you and Ret like to stay at my nest?"

Ali was taken aback by the offer she was given. She was also flattered by the offer Littlefoot had given them. "Well, if you really think it isn't too much trouble…"

"It won't be any trouble at all, Ali." Grandpa Longneck reassured, accepting the offer as well.

"We would love to take care of you while we wait for your herd." Grandma Longneck insisted.

"I guess, as long as it's okay with Ret." Ali answered.

"Why not? We need a place to stay." Ret answered.

"In that case, we'd love to."

"Yes!" Littlefoot shouted in happiness. "Oh, Ali! I just know we're going to have so much fun together!"

Ali felt rather flattered by her friend as she let out a slight giggle. "I'll be looking forward to it, Littlefoot."

"Well," Rooter began, getting everyone's attention. "I'd better go. After all, I'm a bit of a wonder and there's still lots to see in this world. This place is rather beautiful, more than enough to make me want to return some day." He then left without another word.

"Goodbye, and thank you for bringing them here." Grandma longneck said.

Rooter only walked a little distance before looking back. "So it was him after all." He said as he looked at Littlefoot. "I didn't even get to know his name, though I don't bother much for that. It seems that thanks to all the friends he has, he's been able to move on from the death of his mother. Though I'm sure he thinks about her everyday, he knows that he can't dwell on the past and must look forward to the future. Hopefully, I am right about that." He then left the valley and continued on his wondering journey.

--End Chapter 4---  
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Well, I hope you enjoyed that.

Please review.

See ya later!


	6. The Close Call

I don't know why I didn't put this up sooner. I'm such a procrastinator!

Well, hope you enjoy this!  
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**Chapter 5**

**The Close Call**

While Ali and Ret were having their little reunion in The Great Valley, their herd was busy trying to find any trace of them. Though some of the members thought it was pointless to look for the young ones because they believed the fall had killed them, they continued the search. Old One and Ali's mother didn't give up hope, however. Something inside the two female longnecks told them that Ali and Ret were alive and safe.

They soon stopped for a momentary rest period before moving on. They were near a vast lake and the only source of vegetation around were the plants in the water, but it provided them with the necessary needs to fuel up and move on. However, unknown to them, they were not alone.

Deep within the water, several big-mouthed belly draggers, scientific term being crocodiles, lied in wait. This was their home, where they would patiently wait for any unsuspecting prey to come within reach and feast upon the flesh. They were surprised today to find a herd of longnecks having a drink and feasting upon the underwater plants. Just one of the adult longnecks would feed them all. However, getting one of those would be tricky. One of the young ones would be more than enough for one of them, but every one of them hadn't eaten for months. It had been a long time since something tasty to them came their way.

The big-mouthed belly draggers sneakily swam to the shore opposite of the longnecks. Once they all arrived, they started to formulate a plan.

"So, any one of you have a plan to get one of those older longnecks?" One of the crocodiles asked.

"It won't be easy to get them." One particular crocodile said, which happened to have a tiny scar across his right eye. "They are all members of a migrating herd, thus meaning they are stronger than most that come to our home."

"One of their feet could easily break our heads apart. There's only one surefire way to kill a longneck." Said the one with a missing eye.

"We have to bite off the neck!" Said the one that had no eyes whatsoever.

The many crocodiles looked at the one who was their leader. This guy was well known by them to be able to hunt and win battle rights without the need of sight. No one dared to oppose him because of his great skill. Many who didn't know when to back down paid a terrible price, as his lunch.

"Leader, do you know of any way we can get close enough without killing ourselves?" Asked the one with the scar across his right eye.

"Leader, Sargent, I think I have an idea." One particular crocodile said in a more feminine tone than the others did.

"Well, if it isn't Dil, the renegade female that abandoned us because of a sharp-beak." Sargent retorted.

"I'm not with him! Not anymore since he left me to die by that longneck sharptooth! I would've been its meal if that thing didn't get tired out!"

"I'm sorry to hear you two broke up, female!" The one with the missing eye insulted.

"Me and Ichy we're never friends. I don't miss him one bit!"

"So anyways, what's the plan?" Leader questioned.

"It's simple. We'll just wait until one is deep enough. We then lure them deeper with a plant. And right when they're about to get the plant, we go for the neck!" She informed them.

Sargent laughed. "It's so brilliant that it just might work!"

"Now we just have to decide who gets to do what." Leader said.

On the opposite side of the shore, Old One had eaten and drank her fill and was now watching the rest of the herd, looking carefully for any predators. Little did she know that a group of them were lurking in the water, with their plan about to be put into motion.

Ali's mother was busy eating her fill. She could hardly tell if she was hungry or full though, due to her deep depression from losing her only child. The memories of her time with her daughter were constantly flowing through her mind at a rapid pace. She unknowingly stepped deeper into the water. She wanted to keep her mind off the memories for a bit and spotted a small plant sticking out of the water. It was swaying in the wind in a motion that seemed as if it was calling to her. She walked closer to the plant, not knowing of the danger lurking within the water.

She bent her neck down and was about to bite into the plant when suddenly one of the big-mouthed belly draggers launched the attack. Ali's mother saw the predator just in the nick of time and brought her neck up far enough for the carnivore to miss it by only half an inch. She then hit the crocodile that tried to bite off her neck with her tail, and in the process also hit another crocodile that was holding the plant all along in it's snout. Ali's mother noticed this and figured that it was a trap that she nearly fell for. She clenched evilly at them with unforgiving eyes. She was now willing to show these predators no mercy.

"Uh-oh! Let's get out of here!" One of the crocodiles said and all of them listened and swam away as fast as they could.

'Where do you think you're going?' Ali's mother thought to herself and started hunting them instead.

Ali's mother gave chase and then caught one with her mighty foot by the tail. The one that was unfortunately caught was Dil. Ali's mother then proceeded to stomp onto the head, making the skull emit a horrible cracking sound. By then, the head had hit the underwater muddy floor, making the lungs slowly be filled with water. Ali's mother continued to do damage by digging her foot into the head, causing fragments of the skull to pierce the brain.

Old One saw this and decided to stop her before she actually killed the poor creature. She stepped into the water and approached the female adult that was proceeding to due harm to her victim by having her foot break the back. Old One stopped the oncoming foot from meeting with her tail.

"That's enough, child!" She said in a calm and stern voice.

Ali's mother looked at her and her eyes and face turned soft and sorry. She removed the foot that was upon the head as well as the one on the tail and left the scene with Old One.

As soon as they reached shore, Old One looked at the rest of the herd, who had also seen everything. "Everyone, we leave now! It is far too dangerous to stay!" She said.

The herd listened and left the scene. As for Dil, who was now floating upside down on her back, she was still alive, but barely. Her breathing and movement had become labored due to her brain being badly damaged, making it difficult to do anything.

"Well, we might as well not let 'food' go to waste." Said Sargent.

Dil then saw the other crocodiles approaching with a look of hunger in their eyes. She closed her own as she awaited her deadly fate. Before she was decapitated, her memories flooded her mind. The last thought being that of the time she spent with Ichy.

---End Chapter 5---  
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Note: I was originally going to have Ali's Mother get eaten by the crocodiles, but then an idea came to me and I chose to keep her around and so that the new idea can come true.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!

Next one up on Sunday!

See ya then!


	7. Over Caring

Okay, sorry this took so long, but this place was having problems that I really hated. I finally found a way to get around it and I'll post up the chapters ASAP.

Now, I hope you enjoy this!  
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**Chapter 6**

**Over-caring**

By now, nighttime had fallen around The Great Valley. Many residents were returning to their nests by now, ready to get some sleep. Cera had especially started to return home. She was very happy upon the news that Ali would have to stay in the valley until her herd came to pick her up. Cera was pretty close to Ali. She was mainly such good friends with her because Ali had saved her life from Dil quite some time ago. Cera was forever in Ali's debt, and the least the little threehorn could do was to be her friend.

Remembering those old times, Cera had returned home. Her dad, known as Topsy, was patiently waiting for her to return home. He was mainly upset because Cera had been up past her curfew. He really did not enjoy punishing his daughter, no parent does. Topsy only hoped that she had a good reason for it. He didn't have to wait too much longer though, as he saw Cera coming home as fast as she could.

"What were you doing up past your bedtime, Cera?" Topsy demanded firmly.

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" Cera apologized. "A friend had returned to the valley and I lost track of time."

"Oh? Who was it?" He asked as he watched his daughter walk straight to her nesting spot.

"Ali! You know, that longneck girl that helped me and my friends save Littlefoot's Grandpa?"

"Oh, her! I didn't realize that longneck herd was back so soon!" He said in a rather grim and angry tone. He always did have a thing about longnecks.

"Actually Daddy, she and her friend Ret got separated from their herd by an earthshake. They're staying at Littlefoot's until their herd comes to pick them up."

"Ah, I see!"

"Yeah! We're going to have a lot of fun!" Cera let out a slight chuckle. "Oh, and Daddy, I was wondering if I could bring Tricia along tomorrow?"

"Why, Cera?"

"Well, I just want Ali to meet her, that's all!"

"Oh! Well, as long as you ask Tria and keep an eye on her, I think it will be okay!"

"Thanks, Daddy!"

"Now, go to sleep, Cera!"

"Okay. Goodnight, Daddy!"

Cera then went to her little nesting spot and went to sleep, dreaming about all the fun she would have tomorrow with her friend.

Ducky and Spike were returning late as well. In fact, they were so late, that Ducky's mother, along with all her siblings, was already asleep. The two of them quietly tiptoed to their own nesting spot, which they shared. Worst of all, it was right next to the huge female that took care of them. They were so quiet that Ducky thought they would make it.

Suddenly, Spike accidentally stepped on a twig, which made a loud snap as it broke in two. The two froze at the sound of the wood breaking, and Ducky mentally scolded at Spike for giving them away. The female moaned in her sleep. Luckily for them though, she just shifted a little and went back to sleep.

The two of them mentally sighed in relief. Feeling safe, the two of them went closer and then settled down. Ducky let out another sigh, thinking that the two of them had pulled it off without getting caught. Spike just immediately went to sleep.

"Hello dears." A soft, gentle voice greeted them.

Ducky looked to her side and saw that her mother was actually awake. "Oh, hi Mama! Hi, hi, hi!" She greeted back.

"Why are you both home so late? I was getting worried."

Ducky sighed in defeat. "Well, you see, Mama, a friend had returned to the valley and we had lost track of time just talking to her." She explained.

"Oh! Who was it?"

"Ali! You know, the longneck that helped in saving Littlefoot's Grandpa?"

"Really? So the herd she is with is back too?"

"No, no, no!" She shook her head in disappointment. "She and her friend Ret got separated from their herd in a terrible earthshake. They did! They're staying with Littlefoot, they are!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun tomorrow. Good night, Ducky!"

"Good night, Mama!"

Ducky then went to sleep, happily dreaming about the fun she would have tomorrow.

Petrie was flying back home as fast as he could. He knew that he was late and that he was in trouble for doing so. He soon made it to his nest that was on top of a cliff. He silently landed and saw that his mother and siblings were asleep. Petrie smiled, believing he could get to bed without waking everyone. However, there was one slight problem. The place where he usually slept, he shared with an old gray flyer named Swooper.

Swooper was a friend of his that he had saved from The Mysterious Beyond. The only thing about this flyer was that he was blind. However, the old flyer had been able to heighten his other scenes and so that he didn't need his sight to tell what was around him. This sort of thing made it quite a problem for Petrie to sneak into bed without getting caught, as Swooper had a very good sense of hearing.

Petrie silently walked up to the old flyer and saw that he was snoring quietly. Petrie settled down next to the flyer and saw that he was still asleep. Petrie gave out a silent sigh of relief. He then started to settle in for the night.

"Hello, Petrie!" A voice said.

Petrie shot right up. He then turned around and screamed when he saw a pair of pale gray eyes look right at him. However, he soon recovered and noticed who it was. "Oh, uh… Hi, Swooper." He greeted nervously. "How you know it me?" He asked curiously.

"I know your voice very well." The old flyer answered.

"Oh!"

"Why were you out so late? Your mother was worrying." He questioned.

"Oh, Petrie talk with old friend. Me no know it late." He explained in his own little way.

"Ah, I see! I'll try my best to explain to your mother when she wakes up tomorrow. Now, go to sleep."

Petrie simply nodded to the old flyer that had been a guest in their home since he arrived in The Great Valley and went to sleep, thinking he was the only one who got off lucky.

There were a couple of others who got off lucky. Ruby and Chomper had also stayed up late talking to Ali and Ret. They headed to the caves they were staying in the moment they noticed it was so late. Ruby went to sleep immediately, but Chomper was unable to get any rest. He was contemplating in his mind what Ali actually thought of him. He was a sharptooth after all, the main type of creature that would rather eat her then be her friend. Then again, he was able to make friends with six completely different types of dinosaurs, all of which would normally be part of his diet.

He sighed at one thing though. With Ali being in a migrating herd, they were probably attacked by many different kinds of predators. She had probably been running from meat-eaters all her life. He knew it would be very difficult to make friends with someone like that. He knew Ali was afraid of him when they first met. However, she probably felt safe with all of her other friends around.

He started to wonder if the two of them would ever become friends. The only friends he had now were rather easy. Littlefoot took care of the little sharptooth after he hatched. From there, Littlefoot had pretty much encouraged everyone. All but Cera! Cera felt rather indifferent about Chomper. She didn't want anything to do with him or his friendship. However, once Chomper's parents had protected them and showed that they could be trusted, Cera had pretty much given Chomper her friendship.

And then, there was Ruby. He looked over at the fast-runner that was sleeping peacefully near him. She was being rather brave with all she was doing. She had promised Chomper's parents that she would look after their only son. She was also trying to find a way to defeat Red Claw and so that both the valley and The Mysterious Beyond were safe once again. In all that time, Chomper was able to become friends with Ruby. He looked up at the moon, and at that point, he made a promise to himself, that before Ali left, he would find a way to become her friend.

Back at Littlefoot's nest, Littlefoot, his Grandparents, Ali and Ret were all enjoying one final meal before going to bed for the night. Since Ali couldn't walk until her leg was better, Littlefoot had put it upon himself to bring food and water to her.

At this moment, Littlefoot was carrying as many tree-stars as he could in his mouth to Ali. He dropped the star-shaped leaves in front of Ali for her to enjoy.

"Thanks, Littlefoot!" Ali said.

"You're welcome, Ali!" He said as he headed back to get another batch for her.

He bent his long slender neck down and picked up about a dozen more tree-stars in his mouth. He then started to head back to Ali. By the time he returned he was so surprised by what he saw that he dropped all the leaves he was carrying. Ali had finished eating all the tree-stars Littlefoot had given her.

"Ali, did you eat them all already?" He asked in shock.

"Yeah, I'm actually quite hungry." She admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed at the moment.

This revelation had peeked Littlefoot's curiosity. "When was the last time you ate?"

Ali started to feel a little nervous revealing the truth to Littlefoot. "Me and my herd haven't had anything to eat since we came to The Great Valley. Many times, we eat only plants that are underwater that are not very filling. Even then there's not enough to go around. We make sure everyone gets a fair share though, and that those who really need the food get the most. It's a rather hard life for us out there."

Littlefoot was quite surprised to find out that Ali hadn't been eating well most of her life. In all truth, it kind of scared him. "Has it really been that tough all your life?" He questioned with even greater concern then before.

"Since we had to leave 'The Land of Mists'. It only got harder when Ret and his herd joined us since we had more to look after." She then put on a fake smile. "But you really don't have to worry about it Littlefoot, we'll be just fine."

"Well… okay! I… if you say so!" He then walked away without saying another word.

However, he was very concerned for her now. He hardly ever thought of the kind of life she was living. Now, more than ever, he really hoped she would stay in the valley. That way, she could have a better and safer life. However, he knew that he couldn't deprive her of being with the family she cares about. He knew the only thing he could do now was to make sure she had as much fun as possible before she left. At this point, he was determined to make sure that her stay in the valley would be the best time of her life.

--End Chapter 6--  
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Well, I hope you enjoyed that.

See ya later!


	8. The Meeting of Finding

Well, here's the next chapter!

Enjoy!  
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**Chapter 7**

**The Meeting of Finding**

The sun rose above the valley, presenting a new day. At sunrise was when the adults awoke, while the young ones would usually sleep a little longer. Many times, there was no reason for the adults to wake up so early, but today had a different occasion. With two lost ones being in the valley now, it was the adult's mission to gather everyone and start a search party to look for the herd while the rest stayed behind to look after them.

Grandma and Grandpa Longneck were the first to awaken, and they started gathering those that they could. Topsy, along with Ducky's mother soon awoke and they started to gather all they could. Petrie's mother soon awoke, but she had no knowledge of yesterday's event, so she hardly knew of the surprise meeting that would soon take place. However, Swooper heard her awake and the gray flier got up as well. He then approached the female.

"Good morning, miss!" He greeted kindly.

"Oh! Good morning, Swooper!" She greeted back. "I'm glad to see that my little Petrie came home safe and sound. I worry about him so!"

"He told me that he was late because he was spending time with an old friend of his and lost track of time."

"Ah, I see!" She said, continuing to look at the little brown flier. She sighed. "It is so hard for him to make friends with his little speech problem and all. A lot of the kids in the valley see it as an annoyance and want nothing to do with him. He doesn't understand just how lucky he is to have the friends he does now."

The old flier nods at her. "I understand. Others turn away from me because I'm blind. However, you young miss took me in without a second thought, and for that I'm grateful."

Petrie's mother then decided to change the subject. "Well, since someone is visiting the valley now, I guess there will be a meeting of some kind to greet them properly. I'll hopefully be back by the time the kids wake up. Keep an 'eye' on the kids in case they wake up." She half-joked.

Swooper let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I couldn't do that if I tried!" He joked back.

The two fliers shared another laugh before Petrie's mother took off to the area where the residents of the valley usually meet for these sort of things.

It wasn't too long before all of the adults were nearing the area where they usually meet for special reasons. At this point, Grandma Longneck decided to wake up the guests that were still fast asleep at the nest. As she approached the young longnecks she noticed something that just made her smile in awe.

Littlefoot, Ali and Ret were all sleeping up against one another, which probably kept them warm throughout the cold night. What really made her smile was that Littlefoot's head was resting on top of Ali's. It was so adorably cute that it seemed to be a sin to interrupt such a thing. Sadly, the old female knew what had to be done.

She gave a gentle tap with her head at Littlefoot's side to wake him. "Littlefoot! Time to wake up, little one!" She said soothingly.

Littlefoot started to stir as he was being awoken from his dream. As he stirred, Littlefoot started to feel that his head was not lying on the cool blades of grass or on cold and hard ground, but on something soothingly warm and somewhat comfortable. He lazily got up and immediately shook himself awake when he noticed that he had his head on top of Ali's through the night. He blushed a deep shade of red in embarrassment.

He then heard Grandma Longneck chuckle and turned to her while still feeling embarrassed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!" She promised.

He sighed in relief. "Thanks, Grandma!" He said.

"Now, wake them up, Littlefoot. They have a special meeting to get to."

Littlefoot let out a yawn and stretched his stiff body. Once he was done, he proceeded to wake up Ali and Ret.

He started by shaking both of them. "Come on, guys! It's time to get up!" He said.

Ali was the first to awaken. She lazily opened her eyes and let out a yawn of her own. She then absentmindedly stood up and stretched her stiff body as well. It was then that she suddenly noticed that she was standing up and that her legs didn't hurt one little bit. The special leaves had healed her legs overnight.

Littlefoot was surprised and had a look of happiness upon his face when he saw his friend get up on all four of her legs and move them around freely. Ali was quite surprised herself and started jumping around in happiness, having being able to walk again. While she was jumping around, she accidentally stepped on Ret's tail. Ret screamed in pain as his tail was crushed under some sort of weight, which immediately woke him up.

"Hey! You didn't have to step on my tail to wake me up!" He complained.

"Oh, sorry Ret!" Ali apologized.

Ret mentally accepted her apology and stretched himself. He then turned to Ali. "I see that your legs are better." He said in a much kinder tone.

"Yeah! Those plants really did the trick!" She said happily.

"It's great that you're walking around again, Ali!" Littlefoot said, being very happy for her. However, his face became a little serious. "But now we have to go to the meeting the grown-ups have set up. You two will definitely need to be there. Both of you are the only ones who can provide us the information we need to find your herd." He explained.

"Then let's get going! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can start playing, and I have a lot of fun ideas for us!" Ali said as the trio of longnecks headed to the meeting place.

It wasn't too long before every grown-up in the valley had gathered at the meeting place, which was secluded at a fairly sizable, naturally carved half-dome shaped structure. Only the adults were allowed to meet in this area, with the exception of the children having important pieces of information to give that was related to the reason they were there. This was the main reason that Ali and Ret were allowed to come to the meeting as well.

The two young longnecks looked around at the many adults that had come to the meeting. They became nervous at the sight of all the different species of dinosaurs that were there. There were longnecks, threehorns, swimmers, fliers, fastrunners, spiketails, clubtails, rainbowfaces and even one elderly dinosaur known as a thicknose.

Ali turned to Ret. "You nervous?" She whispered to him.

Ret nodded. "Yeah! You?"

"Very!"

Grandma Longneck bent herself down to their level. "Now don't worry, you two! All you need to do is provide us with the information we need and you can then go and play with your friends." She said in a comforting tone, which made the two longnecks feel a little better.

Ali looked behind her and spotted her friends waiting patiently for her and Ret. She smiled and started to feel a lot less nervous. There was hardly any in her at this point, though she still had a tiny bit inside her.

Grandpa Longneck was the first to start the meeting. "Now that we can begin, I shall explain the reason we are all here." He bent his neck down to Ali and Ret. He then gestured them to step into the front of the crowd so they could be seen. The two young longnecks hesitantly obliged. "This is Ali and Ret. These young ones got separated from their herd and got lost. We need to find their herd and bring them here to pick them up. Is there anyone willing to find the ones they belong with?"

"And how do you propose we find this herd of theirs?" One of the clubtails asked.

"Ali and Ret have agreed to give you all the information you need with the path their herd takes." Grandma Longneck answered.

'We have to give away our secret path?' Ali asked herself in shock. 'Well, if it's the only way to find our herd…'

"Now then, who's willing to go?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

It was a little later that Ali and Ret were able to provide everyone with the information they needed. It all showed that the path was rather complicated and quite long. Ali also pointed out the area where they got separated from their herd and told them of an alternate path they could take to get back on track. However, it led to a place that was heavily populated by sharpteeth, so it was quite dangerous, even for the small herd that was venturing out. Ali informed them that it was best to travel through that area at night, but it would be dangerous since some sharpteeth would be guarding their nests. This information made quite a number reluctant to make the journey since they didn't want to end up food for sharpteeth.

After Ali and Ret were finally done giving out all the details, the grown-ups decided to ask who would go. A number had to stay behind for either the reason of having children to take care of or being too scared to go. Quite a number of the fliers volunteered since they had the best chance of making the journey. A number of the landwalkers also decided to go. However, there was one that surprised them all and it was near the end of the meeting.

"Now, is there anyone else who is willing to find their herd?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"I will!" A voice said.

They all turned to see a male longneck that was old with age and had a single tooth sticking out of his mouth.

"You want to go, Pat?" Grandma Longneck asked in shock.

"You bet ya! I want to help the youngings. Also, I've been moseying along the valley and seen so much here that I feel it's time for me to mosey on out of here and see the world again. Doing this will give me the opportunity." He explained.

"Very well! If that is what you want." Grandpa Longneck said.

"We will miss you, Pat. You've been a good friend during your stay here." Grandma Longneck said.

"I will miss you too!" Pat said his goodbye as well.

After that, everyone was ready to head out and find Ali and Ret's herd and they all departed to say their good-byes before they left. It wasn't long until the good-byes were said and Ali and Ret were allowed to go and play with their friends.

--End Chapter 7--  
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I hope you enjoyed that.

Please review.

See ya later!


	9. The Changing Moment

This chapter has been done for quite some time. I have NO excuse for not updating. Sorry about that.  
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**Chapter 8**

**The Changing Moment**

Ali and Ret finally met up with their friends after the big meeting. All of them were there, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ruby and Chomper.

"So, are you both ready to play?" Littlefoot asked.

"You bet! I've been wanting to play with you guys since we got here!" Ali said. She then whispered in Littlefoot's ear. "Plus, Ret still only plays 'Rescue' with me and that really gets boring after only so many times." The two longnecks started to giggle at that.

"Ha, ha, ha! Very funny!" Ret said, hearing exactly what they said.

At this point, Cera decided to step in. "Oh, Ali…" She began.

"Yes, Cera?" Ali asked, having her full attention.

"Before you decide what you would like to play, I'd like you to meet someone who will be joining us today."

"Oh?"

Cera then looks behind herself. "You can come out, now!" She said in a gentle tone.

Ali then saw something peek out behind Cera. The tiny being then emerged from behind Cera and Ali could tell that it was a female threehorn baby that was colored a shade of pink. The little baby threehorn then walked up to Ali and started speaking in some sort of baby gibberish as if to say "hello".

"Ali, this is my step-sister, Tricia." Cera introduced the baby.

Ali bent her neck down to the baby's eye-level. "Hello, Tricia."

Tricia walked up to Ali and attempted to wrap her front feet around Ali's nose as if to give her a hug.

Ruby giggled. "It looks like Tricia likes Ali already." She said.

It wasn't long until Tricia stopped hugging Ali and allowed her to bend her neck back up.

"So, what do you and Ret want to play, Ali?" Littlefoot asked.

Ali and Ret started to discuss what they should play.

"So, what should we play?" Ret questioned in a whispering tone.

"Whatever we pick, we need to make sure it's safe for Tricia." Ali said in the same whispering tone. She suddenly became a little serious. "And don't let it be 'Rescue'!" She said sternly.

"Okay! I get the point!" Ret suddenly felt a little scared at his best friend.

Ali then got an idea. "Wait! There's one game I haven't played in a long time. Besides, we're naturals at it with being in a herd and all." She winked.

"Oh, I know what you're talking about." He winked back.

The two then faced the gang. "We've chosen the game 'Hide 'n Seek'." Ali told them.

"Okay, great!" Littlefoot said.

"Oh, and since we're playing, we have a few 'special' rules for this game." She piqued up.

"W… what kind of rules?" Littlefoot sounded a little nervous at that.

"Oh, nothing that will change the very nature of the game." Ret promised.

"Instead of one being the one that 'seeks', there's two of them." Ali explained.

"Two seekers that seek?" Ruby questioned.

"Uh-huh!" Ali nodded. "The two 'seekers' will look for everyone else. The first two that are found are the new team of 'seekers'."

"On top of that, you must 'hide' in teams of twos." Ret added.

"Aside from that, all other rules apply."

"So, it's like Hide 'n Seek, but with teams?" Cera asked, pretty much understanding the whole thing.

"Yep! You got it!" Ret said.

"Okay! Sounds great!" Littlefoot said.

"Me and Ret will be a team on this one. What will your teams be?" Ali asked.

The gang huddled up together and started to speak among themselves how they would organize their teams.

"So, who should be with who?" Littlefoot asked.

"Well, I'm stuck keeping an eye on Tricia because once I asked, my Dad and Tria said I had to be with her until the end of the day. They said they had their own plans for today." Cera said as she rolled her eyes.

"And I've got to keep an eye on Chomper because of the promise I made to his parents that I would promise to keep him safe." Ruby said.

"Well, at least that takes care of two teams." He then let out a sigh, having a little trouble figuring out how to pair up the last of them. "I think Ducky and Petrie will work well together on this one."

"Good point! In this case, you need the right teammate to get the edge in the end." Cera said.

"I guess that leaves me and Spike then."

The gang of eight then faced Ali and Ret, having made their decisions. "Okay, our teams are, Me and Spike, Ducky and Petrie, Ruby and Chomper, and Cera and Tricia."

Ali smiled, believing this would be easier than she thought. "Alright! Now we just need some good hiding places." Her smile then faded. "Do you know of any?"

Several of them just nodded at her. "Yep! This way!" Cera said as she started to head off in one direction, only to be stopped by Littlefoot.

"Uh, actually Cera, the better hiding places are this way." He said, motioning in the opposite direction Cera was going.

Cera shook her head. "Uh-huh, it's this way!"

"No! It's that way!"

Cera started to get a little irritated. "No! It's this way!"

Littlefoot was getting upset as well. "That way, Cera!"

"My way is better, Littlefoot!" Cera was getting mad now.

"My way has plenty of hiding places!" Littlefoot defended himself.

"My way has better hiding places, including 'The Sheltering Grass'!"

"You know its against the rules to use 'The Sheltering Grass' as a hiding place as no one can find you even if you hid in there!"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Ducky said, realizing what was going on.

Ruby sighed. "They're at it again." She said in disappointment.

"Yeah, that's why it's the best!" Cera argued.

"We don't need 'The Sheltering Grass'! We've been creative before!" Littlefoot argued back.

"They haven't gotten any better at this since we left, huh?" Ali asked the ones watching the argument, who only nodded. "Thought so!" She sighed.

Ali walked up and separated Littlefoot and Cera before it could go too far. "Okay, you two! Break it up! I'll decide which way we go!" She turned to the threehorn. "Cera, you lead the way!"

"Humph!" Cera said, feeling proud. "Follow me!" She said in a cocky tone.

Littlefoot sighed. "I just know she's going to hide in 'The Sheltering Grass' now." He mumbled as he reluctantly followed.

It wasn't long until they reached the area where they would be hiding. It definitely had a good number of hiding places. There were plenty of bushes, trees and rocks to hide them, as well as The Sheltering Grass. The Sheltering Grass in particular was just a bunch of tall grass that could easily cover a number of the dinosaurs within The Great Valley, particularly ones the current height of Littlefoot.

Ali and Ret smiled at the location they were currently in. The two knew this was the perfect place to show them the skills they had developed from being in a herd most of their lives.

"Okay, everyone ready play?" Ali asked and everyone nodded to her. "Okay, me and Ret will count at this tree nearby. You know all the rules, so let's play!" Ali secretly let out a sly smirk, knowing just how easy she made it for her and Ret without anyone else figuring it out.

Ali and Ret started counting. Littlefoot and Spike quickly hid behind a mass covered rock. Ducky climbed up a tree and hid within the foliage as Petrie flew up to join her. Ruby and Chomper both quickly hid within a bush. Finally, Cera and Tricia hid within The Sheltering Grass, as Littlefoot predicted. All the time though, the gang didn't realize that the two seekers were using their highly developed ears to pinpoint the location of the other eight.

The two were soon done counting. "Ready or not, here we come!" They called out.

Ali and Ret immediately looked at The Sheltering Grass with whirly smiles. The two then looked at one another. Ret nodded to her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Ali walked up to The Sheltering Grass and stopped at a certain location. She the reared up and jumped right into the tall grass, letting out a playful roar. A high pitched scream emitted from the grass.

"They didn't find her already, did they?" Littlefoot questioned in shock from hearing the scream that he knew only came from Cera.

He, Spike, Petrie, Ducky, Ruby and Chomper all came out of their hiding places to find Ali right in front of an on-their-back-and-surprised Cera and Tricia.

Ali gave a proud smirk of her own to Cera. "Found you!" She taunted.

"This is impossible!" Littlefoot said, definitely surprised.

"No one has ever finded Cera before! No, no, no!" Ducky said in complete shock.

"Except for that one time she wasn't playing, no one has ever found her when she is playing." Ruby said in a matter-of-factuality.

"How she do it?" Petrie asked.

Cera regained herself. "Okay, either you got lucky or you cheated, because no one has ever found me that easily." She said as she started to glare at Ali.

Ali let out a giggle. "I guess I should explain. When you live in a herd, you are given some rather special information on how to look out for sharpteeth. We have learned to stay alert with our ears."

"Wait! Are you saying you heard us, because me and Tricia never made a noise." Cera interrupted.

"True, but we did hear you go into 'The Sheltering Grass', while we were counting." Ret told them.

"You both could hear us while you were counting?" Chomper asked.

"Yes!" Ali continued with her explanation. "From birth we are taught to focus on the areas around us. We are told to carefully block out other sounds and carefully listen for sharpteeth that could be lurking nearby."

"But, couldn't the herd you live in protect you from sharpteeth that try to eat you?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes, but there are some very clever and highly skilled ones out there." Ret explained.

"They move like the wind and can strike you without warning, some of which can get you in a place that just means instant death if they got you." Ali explained to them.

"W-we've never run into one like that." Littlefoot said.

"Few like that exist, but you take no chances with a herd. Sharpteeth need the element of surprise on their side, and you need to make sure they don't get it." She then turned to Cera. "And that's how we got you."

Cera had her mouth wide open in shock throughout a good portion of Ali's explanation. She then let out a proud smirk. "Okay, you win! I guess that makes me and Tricia 'it' now, huh?" Cera said.

"Actually, there is one more rule I forgot to tell you all about. Since I was the one that found you, I get to have my teammate switch teams with one of the members of your team, and I choose you, Cera, to switch teams with Ret."

Ret rolled his eyes. "Great! I just love to baby-sit." He said sarcastically.

"Hey! You'd best keep an eye on her or believe me," Cera said as she came closer to Ret, "I won't be the only one giving you punishment if something happens to her." She promised in a threatening tone.

"An untimely death by a family of threehorns. I understand."

"Good!"

"Okay you two, if you're done, let's get back to the game." Ali said.

"Looks like hiding won't be that easy now." Littlefoot muttered out loud to himself.

So they started up the game again, this time allowing "The Sheltering Grass" as a hiding place since Ali and Ret had such advanced seeking skills. With this new rule in play, Ruby and Chomper decided to hide in the tall grass. Ducky and Petrie hid in a different tree this time. Ret and Tricia hid behind a rock, though Tricia was making a lot of noise and Ret had to try to keep her quiet as not to give them away. Finally, Littlefoot and Spike hid within a bush, which Spike couldn't help to start munching on and Littlefoot had to stop him and his gluttonous appetite.

"Ready or not! Here we come!" Ali and Cera yelled.

The two split up and started to look for the others. Ali didn't pay much attention with her ears like the last time, so she was giving them a better chance. Unknown to her though, Ali was walking near the bush where Littlefoot and Spike were hiding.

'Wow, she's definitely good! No way I'm allowing her to seek again. I've got to try and at least make it harder for her to find me.' Littlefoot thought to himself as he saw Ali approaching.

In an attempt to hide better, Littlefoot started to back up a little. Unknown to him though, there was a plant right behind him that had very sharp needles sticking out of it. He backed up into the plant and the needles pierced the skin on his bottom enough to emit pain through his whole body. As a result of this newfound pain, he jumped through the bush while screaming in pain.

As Littlefoot landed, his mouth ended up closing around Ali's, resulting in an open-mouth kiss. Both of the longnecks were shocked by this sudden turn of events. The two slowly removed their lips from one another and continued to look at eachother in shock. A million thoughts contemplated into their minds. The sudden touch of their lips, though brief, was quite an amazing feeling to both of them. Though Littlefoot and Ali were kissed by their grandparents and mother respectfully, they had never felt anything like they did with such a simple connection of the lips. There were hardly any words to describe exactly what they were feeling.

The unexpected moment did not go unnoticed one bit. All of their friends had seen the scene. They were all quite shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Did I just see what I think I was seeing?" Ruby asked.

"Yep, yep, yep! I think we did see Littlefoot and Ali kiss."

"Ali… Littlefoot… kiss? But, that mean…" Petrie began.

"That Ali and Littlefoot are in love!" Cera finished, taunting the two longnecks that were currently blushing.

"Look guys, it's not what you think…" Littlefoot began.

"Uh, uh!" Cera started to tease them. "Littlefoot and Ali sitting under a tree!" She sang.

"Stop it!" Littlefoot yelled, interrupting the song Cera was taunting singing. He let out a disapproved sigh as he turned away from his friends. "I… I have to go!" He said as he left just to get out of getting teased by his friends.

Cera cocked an eyebrow. "What's his problem?" Cera looked at the others and Ducky, Petrie, Ruby and Chomper all shrugged their shoulders while Spike mumbled something that was probably the equivalent of "I don't know". She then noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where'd Ali and Ret go?" Everyone looked around and couldn't see them anywhere. Cera sighed. "Come on, let's go and find them!" Cera then led the way, making sure Tricia wasn't far behind, as they all began to search for their friends.

Unknown to them, all three longnecks had taken off in different directions. They all wanted to get away to contemplate their thoughts on the event that recently happened. Littlefoot had to figure out what was going on. He knew it was a complete accident and yet, a part of him couldn't help but think that he wanted to do that all along. Ali was a great friend and all, but since they had first met, he had felt something different about her. He couldn't figure out what was going on. He even didn't understand why he felt so indifferent when she returned and introduced Ret to them. Then again, there was a pain in his chest he couldn't understand. He couldn't figure out anything. All he knew was that his grandparents might have an answer, and that's where he would head over soon. Right now, he was trying to figure out how to tell them. He was currently sitting on a grassy field, trying to contemplate how to approach it all.

Meanwhile, Ali had sneaked away from her friends while they were busy teasing Littlefoot. Ali felt sorry for her long-term friend, but she was too embarrassed by the current circumstances to help him when he needed her the most. There was more of a complicated problem going on than her friends thought. She had developed feelings for not one, but two males of her species. Littlefoot had been in her heart for the longest time. For a while, she had fantasies of when they were older and had kids of their own. It was quite normal at her age to be feeling that way, despite having her whole childhood ahead of her. However, as time went on, she missed him more and more. Her feelings for him only got stronger. She knew that she would return to The Great Valley someday and tell him exactly how she felt… or so she thought. She had soon met Ret. He did tell lies to try and make Ali like him, but the truth was that she had other reasons to like him. The reasons she liked him were her own. She couldn't figure out exactly what it was, she just seemed attracted to him. She tried to find other reasons to like him besides his looks, but she really couldn't find anything else. Yet, that didn't stop her feelings from only getting stronger. In time, she had almost forgotten her feelings for Littlefoot because of Ret. Now that this accidental kiss had just somehow happened, her long-forgotten feelings for him had returned. It had suddenly put her in a conflict with her own heart. Could her heart love two, or was it quite true that there was only room for one? She was so conflicted by it all that she collapsed onto the ground and went into deep thought.

As for Ret, the very moment he saw the kiss, he was completely heartbroken. He was completely sure that the kiss had sealed everything and that Ali would choose Littlefoot over him. As a result, he ran off before anyone could find out. He was so attracted to her because of how beautiful she looked to him. He couldn't help but fall in love with her. He wanted to tell her the truth, but was unsure as to whether or not she would love him back. However, he now believed that the kiss between Littlefoot and Ali had all but ended it for a possible loving relationship with her. He soon sat down and started going into a state of depression.

Unknown to each of the three longnecks, Littlefoot, Ali and Ret all let out a saddened sigh and said at the exact same time, "What am I going to do?"

---End Chapter 8---  
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Will the kiss change anything? We'll have to see!

For now, please review.


	10. The Truth of Hidden Feelings

Well, here it is, the next chapter.

Enjoy!  
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**Chapter 9**

**The Truth of Hidden Feelings**

It was a while before Littlefoot finally got his thoughts together and went to his grandparents for advice. He knew they would definitely know quite a bit about the subject he was going to approach them with and be able to give him the information he needed to handle the situation he was in. He soon found his grandparents at one of the many lakes within The Great Valley, having a drink to quench their thirst.

He approached them. "Um, Grandma, Grandpa…" Hearing their grandchild, the two old longnecks raised heads out of the water and looked at him. "I need to talk to you about something."

The two old longnecks could see the solemn look within his eyes that couldn't be hidden. "What's wrong, little one?" His Grandma asked in a concerned manner.

Littlefoot knew they could tell when something was bothering him. There was just no hiding it. With a sigh to relax himself, he told them everything.

"Well, me and my friends were playing Hide 'n Seek and Ali and Cera were 'it'. I was hiding within a bush and Ali had come near where I was hiding. I backed away a bit to try and hide better and hit a prickly plant."

"Are you okay, little one?" His Grandma asked in concern, interrupting him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered.

"Then please continue." His Grandpa instructed.

Littlefoot took a deep breath before continuing. "Anyways, the pain that I felt made me jump forward and out of the bush. Then, when I landed, my lips were suddenly around Ali's."

"So, you're saying that you accidentally kissed Ali." Grandma summarized.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a slight nod, feeling a little embarrassed. "But, the thing is, I really liked the kiss. A part of me didn't want to separate my lips from hers. It felt different from when Spike gave me a friendly lick or you guys kiss me. Is it wrong for me to feel this way about it?"

The two elder longnecks smiled at one another and let out a chuckle. Seeing his grandparents laugh, Littlefoot was confused. The old longnecks soon got their laughter under control and resumed their conversation.

"Oh, Littlefoot! It's very natural to feel that way about a kiss." Grandpa said.

"Especially, when you are in love with the one you kiss." Grandma confirmed.

Littlefoot was shocked by the revelation. "Love?" He then lowered his head in sadness. "Oh no! My friends were right!"

His grandparents looked at him in greater concern. "Is something wrong, Littlefoot?" His grandpa asked.

"It's just that, when I had kissed her, my friends teased both me and Ali about it and sang 'the song'."

Having heard "the love song" themselves, his grandparents knew exactly what he meant. "We understand, Littlefoot." His grandma said with deep respect.

At this point, Littlefoot just wanted to get this whole conversation over with. "So, what can I do about it all?" He asked.

"Well, there's not much you can do about it. Love is something that is unavoidable in life." His grandpa started.

"However, it is one of the greatest things you can have in life. You should feel grateful that you have it at such a level that you do at a young age." His grandma continued.

"So, should I tell Ali how I really feel?" Littlefoot questioned.

"Well, that is your decision in the end." His grandpa answered.

"However, understand that the heart is just as fragile as it is strong. If she rejects you, you'll more than likely be hurt by it for a while." His grandma furthered.

At this point, Littlefoot became worried about it all and his face definitely showed it. His grandma lowered her head and gave him a comforting rub.

"The only real advice we can give you is to tell her when the time is right." His grandma said.

"How will I know?" He asked.

"Your heart will tell you." His grandpa confirmed.

He let out a final sigh. "Thanks!" He then left. "Bye!" He said unenthusiastically as he left.

The two elders silently watched their grandchild leave. When he was out of earshot, Grandpa turned to Grandma. "Think we'll see any great-grandchildren out of those two soon?" He asked her.

Grandma let out a light chuckle. "We can only hope." She said.

The two chuckled together and gave one another a loving rub as they began to think of the possible future that was ahead.

Meanwhile, Ali was still contemplating everything that had been happening lately. In her current situation, there was little she could do about it all. The sad thing of it all was that she loved both Littlefoot and Ret. However, she knew in the end that she could only choose one of them, or at least that was what her mother had taught her. She was quite unsure of which one to choose. She was even unsure how she could choose between them. She was just lost in it all.

A little further away, an elderly dinosaur that was known as a thicknose by the residents of The Great Valley was enjoying one of his usual brisk walks through the area. He just usually looked around and enjoyed the vastness that nature had to offer. However, he soon spotted a small longneck. He got a little curious as to why such a young creature would be all alone. He started walking towards the longneck and he soon noticed it to be the young female that had been at the meeting earlier that day, who was separated from her herd. He got closer and noticed the sad look upon her face. He stopped right in front of her, and having noticed that she really wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, started to talk to her.

"Excuse me, Miss," he began, getting her attention. "Aren't you Ali, the one who is staying in the valley until her herd returns?" He questioned.

"Yes," answered Ali, "and you are…"

He bowed his head at her. "Forgive me. I am Mr. Thicknose. I am known to be the most knowledgeable dinosaur in the whole valley."

This revelation seemed to peak Ali's interest. "Well, if you are as knowledgeable as you say you are, then maybe you can help me with my problem." She offered.

"Perhaps. Just tell me what is wrong." He said in a calm manner, which seemed to ease the tension that Ali was currently receiving.

She took a deep breath to calm herself further and so that it would be easier to tell a complete stranger what the problem was. "I'm in love with two longnecks and…" At that point, she was cut off by Mr. Thicknose.

"You can't choose just one, can you?" He guessed, though he was sure he was correct.

Ali was shocked that he figured it out so easily, but answered his question in a rather calm manner. "No, I can't!" She stated in a gloomy tone. "I've loved Littlefoot for the longest time and Ret has been so caring while I've been away from the Valley and I fell for him too. How can I choose just one?" She questioned.

"What does your heart tell you?" He asked.

"I'm not receiving an answer from that because it is so conflicted."

"I understand."

"In all truth, Mr. Thicknose, my mom knows about this problem I'm having and is rather upset at me. She's demanding that I choose just one. I want to respect her, but it is so hard to choose. Why is she making me choose just one?"

"I cannot exactly say, but I think I might have a basic idea. Ali, have you ever heard about spirits and a time after death?"

Ali thought about it for a minute. "I've heard of a few things about it all." She answered truthfully.

"Well, there are those who believe that there is someone out there that you are meant to be with for your entire life, to love and care for, to have children with and to be with even after death. This one is what many refer to as a 'soul mate'."

"You really think that is what my mother is so concerned about? That I'll never find my soul mate?"

"That is my best guess."

"But I'm just a kid! I'm not ready for something like what you described to me."

Mr. Thicknose smiled at the maturity she was showing, despite being so young. "And no one should tell you otherwise. It is your choice in the end with whomever it is you choose as your soul mate. Always remember that." Figuring she understood, Mr. Thicknose turned and walked away from her.

Ali called out to him. "Hey, one last question," she said, getting the elderly dinosaur's attention. "How will I know who my soul mate is?" She asked.

He continued to smile at her. "You'll just know." He told her, leaving Ali to think further.

As Ali pondered her thoughts, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Tricia, Ruby and Chomper were busy searching for their friends that had run off earlier. Chomper was the one leading the group, using his nose to track the three longnecks. Ducky was currently riding on Spike like she did most of the time. Her small amount of weight made it easy on the spiketail, so he hardly minded it. Petrie had gotten tired of flying around during the search and was currently resting on Cera. She didn't mind the extra weight. In all truth, she could barely feel the little flyer on top of her. She was more concerned about finding her friends, especially Littlefoot. Cera was worried that her teasing might've gone too far and that he was mad at her. If that was such the case, she knew she had to apologize to save their friendship. Even if he wasn't mad, Cera was still going to apologize to him in the end.

Seeing as how Cera was preoccupied with her thoughts, Ruby took it upon herself to keep an eye on Tricia, who was currently snuggled up fast asleep in the fast-runner's arms. Looking down at the small pink bundle in her arms made her smile. This little experience seemed to also make Ruby think about her family that she had to leave behind. It was her duty to find a way to stop the sharptooth that was currently terrorizing everyone, as well as other sharpteeth, in the Mysterious Beyond. It was hard for her to adjust. Sure it was great having all of the amazing adventures she did with her friends, but she missed her family so very much. However, as much as she missed them, she knew she would return to them someday. For now, she had to focus on the mission of finding the longneck trio that was missing.

It wasn't long until Chomper came up to a bush. He noticed it and started rummaging through the shrubbery. He soon was able to part it and allow himself through. Cera walked easily through it by uprooting it with her horn. Spike, not wanting the food to go to waste, started eating the green food the plant provided. Ducky sighed at the sudden sidetracking due to her brother's gluttony. Finally, Ruby came through the brand new opening, still holding a sleeping Tricia.

Chomper stopped, which made everyone bump right into him, coming into an abrupt halt, Spike hitting them last due to his earlier side-tracking.

Cera was very annoyed by this. "Chomper, why did you stop?" She asked, feeling rather irritated.

"Look!" Chomper said, pointing straight ahead.

Right in front of the group was Ret. He had a look of sadness upon his face and didn't seem to be paying any attention whatsoever to the group that had just found him. The group approached him and, noticing the look on his face, decided to find out what was going on.

"Hey, Ret. Why you leave?" Petrie questioned. Ret didn't answer, even though he heard them.

"Yeah, I mean, Littlefoot and Ali I could understand, but why did you?" Cera asked.

"What is going on, what is?" Ducky asked.

"What is going on with you that is going on with you?" Ruby questioned.

Knowing they weren't going to stop asking, Ret sighed and turned to them. "Do you think Littlefoot is the only one in love with Ali? Truth is, so am I."

The entire group was shocked by this sudden revelation. Not a single one of them knew what to say, because the only thing on their minds at this point was just how big of a dilemma this was.

---End Chapter 9---  
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Hope you enjoyed that. Please Review!

See ya later!


	11. The Hardest Thing

Hi! First off, sorry about the LONG wait. I have been going through a few things. Not to mention I've been VERY busy with some other internet projects over the last few months. In truth, this was ready for quite some time and I just forgot about it. So please forgive me.

Anyways, here's the next chapter.  
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**Chapter 10**

**The Hardest Thing**

The whole gang of Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ruby and Chomper had kept quiet about the whole revelation that was suddenly presented until one of them broke the silence.

"Okay, tell me right now," Cera said, walking right up to Ret so she was staring him face to face. "How long have you been in love with Ali?" She demanded questionably.

Ret kept his sad look and lowered his head and so that he wasn't looking at the irritated threehorn. "Since I met her on the very day our herds joined." He confessed.

There was another moment of silence until Ret decided to break the tension. "I'm not sure what to do about all this. I worked so hard to get our relationship where it is. Now, with a single kiss, it's all gone." He told them.

"You no know that." Petrie told him.

"Y – yeah, Petrie is right, he is." Ducky agreed.

"You don't know if Ali does not love you without knowing she does." Ruby said.

"How would you guys know? Besides, you'd probably like it better if Littlefoot and Ali were together for the rest of their lives." Ret said.

Everyone kept silent, not knowing what to say about it all. They were rather unsure of how to respond to this. It wasn't long until the sad longneck spoke again.

"Littlefoot deserves Ali more than me. I know what I need to do now," He finished as he walked away from the group of friends in search of Ali.

Not long after he left, Cera turned to the rest of the group. "I've got a bad feeling about what Ret's going to do." She said.

Meanwhile, Ali was searching endlessly for both Littlefoot and Ret. She needed to find them and so that she could tell them how she felt. She knew it wouldn't be easy to break such news to them, but the truth of the kiss had to be cleared up.

It wasn't long until she found one of them. It was Littlefoot. She saw him looking in different directions as if he was trying to find something. She then walked up to him and Littlefoot noticed her coming towards him. At this point, Ali noticed that he stopped looking around once he saw her, so she easily guessed that he was looking for her. They only stopped a few feet away from one another.

The both of them were quiet for a bit, looking anxiously at one another as the air around them seemed to get more and more tense by the second. What they wanted to say to one another didn't feel as simple as they originally thought. Now, it seemed to be incredibly hard and getting harder by the second.

It was Ali who decided to take the first step of courage and break the silence. "Um… L…Littlefoot, there… there's something I need to tell you." She was so nervous that she said the last part so fast that she wasn't sure if he heard her properly.

Luckily, he did. "Well, I… I have something to tell you too, Ali." He said, feeling a bit more brave then before.

"Uh, you first!" She invited. At this point, she felt little courage to tell him the truth, even though there was some there.

"O… okay!" He started, feeling a little scared. However, he didn't have the courage to tell her by looking at her. He closed his eyes and pretended he was alone. He then spoke out from his heart. "Ali, I feel that we've been friends for… for the longest time. W… when we first met, I felt something different than what I did with my other friends." Even though he didn't see her, he was still scared of telling her. However, the method he was using was making it easier. So, despite being nervous, he continued. "At first, I didn't know what it was, but now, I think I do." At this point, he opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. "Ali, I'm in love with you." He confessed.

Ali was completely taken aback by this sudden revelation. All along, her friend had been in love with her and he just didn't realize it until just recently. Maybe the kiss had something to do with it, but she was unsure. This new information however was making it harder for her to do what she had to, because now, she really didn't want to break his heart. Despite that, she had to tell the truth. He deserved to know.

"Littlefoot, I… I love you too!" She confessed.

"Really?" Littlefoot asked in shock.

Ali nodded. She paused a bit before continuing. "But…" She noticed that her friend was looking at her questionably. "I'm also in love with Ret."

When Littlefoot heard that, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. The pain was almost exactly like the way he felt when his mother died. It wasn't similar, but it was pretty close.

Ali continued. "I know he lied to me, but I just can't help being in love with him as well. He's been such a good friend to me that it would be wrong of me to break up our friendship over something like that."

He gave her quite a sad expression, and when Ali saw this, it just hurt her more. "How long?" He questioned.

Looking into those sad eyes, she knew what he meant. "Ever since he joined our herd." She answered.

"I see." He simply said. He then walked away from her, feeling completely heartbroken.

Only at this point did Ali realize what a terrible mistake she had made by telling him the truth. Now she felt a pain in her chest as well. One she knew would never heal.

It was right at this point that the rest of their friends had found them. Ret immediately walked up to Ali, while at the same time, Cera rushed over to Littlefoot, who was about to leave, calling out his name.

"Hey, Littlefoot!" She yelled, which made Littlefoot stop and look at the source of the voice.

"Oh, hi Cera." He said in an unemotional tone.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." She was a little nervous as she usually didn't do something like this, though it was likely that she never needed to. "I… I want to apologize." She started to look away from him. "If I knew that teasing you and Ali about being in love would make you this upset, I never would've…"

At this point, Littlefoot spoke. "It's okay, Cera. I forgive you." He interrupted. "Besides, you were right. Ali and I are in love with one another. I just recently told her that I love her."

Despite the good news, Cera realized how unemotional Littlefoot said what he did. "Then, why aren't you happy about it?" She questioned.

Littlefoot then looked over to see Ali breaking the news to Ret, who didn't seem to be taking it very well either. "Because, she's in love with both me and Ret." He answered.

Cera was shocked by this completely and couldn't think of a thing to say. She just looked over at Ali and Ret as well, who were finishing their conversation.

"I… I understand, Ali." He said and then walked away, leaving Ali heartbroken even more than before. It wasn't long after that until Ali left the area and headed back to Littlefoot's home, sad and depressed.

After they left, Littlefoot spoke, this time more to himself then to Cera. "I just don't know what to do about all this." He said and left to head home himself.

Cera just sat there, trying to figure out what could be done. She knew it wasn't her place to get involved, but she strangely felt the need to do so. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the rest of her friends leaving because it was starting to get late. She then suddenly came up with an idea.

"I think I know how to help them. I'll need to get Ali alone and see just how she feels about both of them." She said. It was then that she noticed her friends were gone and had left behind a sleeping Tricia. Cera went over and picked up his sleeping step-sister. 'And the best way to do that, is with a 'Girls Only Day'.' She thought to herself as she headed home to get the rest she would need for what she had planned the next day.

---End Chapter 10---  
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He-he! Cera's got a plan!

How will that go? You'll find out next chapter.

In the meantime, please review.

See ya later!


	12. Girls Only Day

Well, here it is, the latest chapter to my story.

Now, it didn't turn out as I planned. It has been expanded for several chapters. This part of the story is 3 to 4 chapters long, so I hope you're okay with that. Not to mention I wasn't able to put in a little something that I wanted to. It just didn't work out the way I wanted.

Still, hope you enjoy it.  
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**Chapter 11**

**Girls Only Day**

It was just at sunrise in the Great Valley. Hardly anyone was awake at this time of day, but one young anxious threehorn was up this early to initiate her plan. She started by heading towards a nest that housed a family of swimmers. Its location was underneath a tree that was near a pond. It was near there that she spotted what, or rather who, she was looking for.

Cera had spotted Ducky right where she thought the little swimmer would be sleeping, right near her large little brother, Spike. The two always shared the same sleeping spot. Cera quietly walked up to the nesting sight, ensuring not to wake anyone. She then snuck quietly towards the small swimmer. When she was close enough, Cera gently shook the tiny body in front of her.

"Hey! Hey Ducky! Wake up!" She whispered.

The little swimmer groaned and blinked her tired eyes open. She then stretched and let out a yawn. She then looked at the one that woke her up and looked surprisingly at the threehorn.

"Cera? What are you doing here?" She questioned. She let out another yawn as she was still very tired. "And why are you waking me up so early? Why?"

Cera shushed her, telling her to keep quiet. "I'll explain later!" She whispered. "Just follow me and don't bring Spike!" She said the final part rather sternly.

Ducky was surprised by this request. She was rarely told to leave her little brother behind. However, she knew that Cera would explain herself later and followed her, leaving behind Spike as ordered.

The two then headed towards a cave that was near the outskirts of the valley. The duo then walked into the cave and not that far into it, they spotted Ruby and Chomper, still fast asleep. Cera immediately saw her good fortune as she spotted Ruby only a few feet away from Chomper, meaning she could wake Ruby without running much risk at waking Chomper.

Cera turned to Ducky. "Wait here!" She ordered her in a whispering tone.

Ducky stayed behind as told while Cera walked quietly up to the slumbering fast-runner. Only inches away, the little sharptooth suddenly picked up on the scent of the sneaking threehorn. Cera noticed this and immediately froze, wondering if she woke up Chomper. However, the sharptooth got up and started walking around with his eyes closed. His natural instincts were functioning, but Chomper's eyes were still in sleep mode. Still, Cera knew that the moment Chomper reached her he would wake up and ruin everything.

She moved the last little bit and started to shake Ruby awake. "Hey, wake up!" She whispered in a small state of panic.

Hearing the threehorn, Ruby awoke and tiredly looked at Cera. "Cera?" She questioned.

Cera shushed her. "Look, just follow me, don't ask questions and don't bring Chomper along. I'll explain later!" She said.

Ruby obliged and followed. The three left the cave as quickly as possible, with Chomper in a slow pursuit, still sleep-tracking them. Cera led the other two females across a river and so that they would temporarily lose their scent. They then took off as quickly as possible.

It wasn't long until Chomper came to the brook. Just before reaching the tributary, the young sharptooth tripped over a small rock that was right in front of the canal, thus causing him to fall right into the water.

The immediate feel of something cold and wet woke the sharptooth right up. In a state of panic, he got up and went out of the shallow waterway as fast as he could. After shaking his body dry he curiously looked around and noticed he was in front of the river near the cave where he slept. Thinking he just sleep-walked to the river, he shrugged and walked back to the cave to get a little more shut-eye before it was time to wake up.

However, the moment he entered the cave, he noticed that Ruby wasn't there. "Ruby? Ruby, are you there?" He called out.

Meanwhile, sure that she had lost Chomper, Cera led the other two females to their next destination. They soon reached Littlefoot's nest. Cera looked and it was just as she had predicted. Due to yesterday's situation, not a single one of the longnecks slept even close to one another. She had a feeling they would be uncomfortable sleeping near one another due to the earlier events.

Cera quickly noticed, however, that Ret was the one who was closest to herself and she had to get past him just to reach Ali. She had no idea how much of a sleeper Ret was. So, feeling a little uneasy, Cera slowly moved towards Ali and did the best sneak performance of her life just to ensure that she wouldn't wake up Ret. The plan seemed to work as Ret was still slumbering away and not taking any notice of the threehorn that snuck right past him. Cera then reached Ali and started shaking her awake.

"Wake up, Ali!" Cera told her.

Listening to her call, Ali blinked her eyes open and yawned. She then stood up and stretched out her stiff legs. She then turned to the one who woke her, pretty much expecting a longneck of some kind, but then noticed that it was a threehorn that she was looking at.

"Cera?" She questioned.

The threehorn shushed her. "Keep quiet, don't ask questions and follow me." She said.

Ali obeyed. Cera quietly snuck past Ret, but Ali just casually walked right past him. Cera took a quick glance and noticed that Ali didn't even try a sneak tactic of any kind to get past Ret. It seemed like the riskiest thing to do. However, Ret didn't even wake up. Cera was a little shocked, but figured that Ali would explain once they reached their destination, so Cera quickly led Ali to the bushes to talk with her.

Ali followed the threehorn and once they reached their destination, noticed that Ducky and Ruby were there waiting. Seeing this really confused her and she turned to Cera to question her. However, the threehorn spoke up before she could say anything.

"Continue following me, girls. We've got a lot to do today." She said. She was about to move on ahead but a voice stopped her.

"Cera, I am not moving one step further, no, no, no." Ducky enraged in an out of character fashion.

"I am not moving as well. Not until you tell us what is going on that is going on." Ruby told her sternly.

"Cera, if you don't tell us what is going on right now, I am breaking up our friendship for good!" She said with a face that showed she was serious.

Cera was quite surprised by how the three of them acted. It was rather out of character for the female friends she had known for so long. She quickly figured that it was best to tell them and sighed in defeat.

"Okay, the truth is that I had gathered all of you for a 'Girls Only Day' and I wanted to surprise ya." She informed them.

The trio that questioned her were rather surprised, but they all just smiled at her, not showing one bit of their bewilderment.

"See? It wasn't so hard to tell us." Ali said showing a sly smile.

Cera was quite shocked. "Wait, none of you are mad at me?" She questioned.

Ducky giggled at her. "Oh, no, no, no, we are not, not at all." She said.

"We just wanted to know what was going on that was going on." Ruby said. "Ducky came up with the idea she came up with."

"We decided to just act mad and so that you would tell us. We did!"

"You mean, you tricked me just so I would tell you?" Cera asked. Ducky and Ruby nodded at her. Cera then turned to Ali. "And what about you Ali, would you have ended the friendship we have if I didn't tell you?"

It was then that Ali laughed at her. She went into such a fit of the giggles that she started rolling on the ground, unable to control her amusement. It was a while before she stopped letting out guffaws and got herself under control.

"I can't believe you actually thought I was going to end our friendship!" She said as she started laughing again.

"Well, I actually did." Cera confessed, now feeling rather embarrassed.

She soon got her laughter under control again. "I would never do that to you, Cera. You're one of the best friends I've ever had." She smiled truthfully.

Cera just smiled back at her, grateful that she had a friend like Ali.

"So, where are we going to that we are going to today?" Ruby asked.

Cera just smiled mischievously at the trio of girls in from of her. "Follow me, and you'll find out." She answered as she led the way.

The girls didn't question her and followed, not knowing of the day that was in store for them.

~Author's note: Cera's POV~

I must admit that it wasn't easy pulling this off. I actually had to sneak away just to do this with the girls. On top of that, I didn't think any of my plans of getting the girls together with me through. I was lucky enough to get Ruby away from Chomper as it is. I should've known that sharptooth's sense of smell was that good.

However, what I don't understand is how Ali got past Ret like that. I mean, come on! You should at least have a strategy of some kind, anybody knows that. I'll have to ask her when we make it to the special place.

I'll be even more lucky to keep this place only I know of a secret much longer. That's right, I'm the only one out of us who knows about where we are going today. I just stumbled upon it one day when I wanted to be alone, away from my friends and family. I guess I could call it my thinking spot. A place to go when I need to cool off or something within that area.

Anyways, we soon reached a cave and I noticed that the girls were becoming even more curious as to where we were going. Of course, I knew we would be okay. Sure, the secret place was in the Mysterious Beyond and all, but I had never seen a single sharptooth in there, so I'm sure it's pretty safe. We soon reached what looked like the end of the cave, but I knew better.

"It's a dead end!" Ali said, pointing out what seemed to be the obvious.

"Are you sure we are going the way that is the right way to go?" Ruby questioned.

I answered them by getting in front of a large rock that was nearby and pushed with all my might. It soon rolled out of the way and let light from the Bright Circle in. From here, let's just say what they saw next definitely surprised them.

Within this small field, surrounded by a great wall of it's own, much like the one in The Great Valley, it had bubbling water that had many trees with treesweets growing out of them. There really wasn't much else to it. Still, not a bad place to go and think, huh?

"This... this place is beautiful!" Ali said in awe.

"It is beautiful! It is! It is!" Ducky agreed.

"I've never seen a place so beautiful that is as beautiful as this place before." said Ruby.

Well, let's just say that I wasn't surprised that they would react pretty much the same way. It was pretty much my reaction when I first saw this place too. Looking at how they were reacting though, a part of me felt a little guilty for not telling them sooner. In fact, a part of me wanted to invite the guys now. However, I immediately shook that idea out of my head. This was a special day for us girls only and I wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

~End Cera's POV~

All of the girls then ran off to the oasis to enjoy their time there.

Meanwhile, back in the Valley, Littlefoot was waking up. He stretched his stiff body and so that the muscles would start working. He looked around and noticed that Ali wasn't around. He continued to look around and saw that Ret was still asleep. He immediately went over to Ret to wake him up and so that they could find her.

He started to shake the sleeping longneck, but Ret stayed fast asleep. Littlefoot then tried a more persuasive method.

"Hey Ret, wake up! Ali is missing!" He said while shaking him, but Ret continued to sleep.

Ret was proving to be a heavy sleeper. He started to wonder if stepping on his tail would be the only way to wake him. Before he could do that, Chomper came through the bushes and came running up to Littlefoot. The little sharptooth looked to be in a state of panic.

"Littlefoot, Littlefoot!" The little sharptooth said in a tone of urgency.

"What is it, Chomper? He asked.

"It's Ruby! She's missing!"

This shocked him completely. First Ali was missing and now Ruby. He decided to not waste any more time.

"Okay, help me wake up Ret and we'll look for both her and Ali." He decided.

Chomper noticed what he said. "Ali's missing too?" He questioned.

"Yeah! This is starting to get strange."

They started to try and wake Ret again, but regardless of how much they shook the snoring longneck, he still slept on. Littlefoot then chose to take drastic measures.

"Okay Chomper, give him the scariest roar you can." He instructed.

"Um... Okay." Chomper then took in a deep breathe and let out a mighty roar.

This woke Ret right up. "Ah! Sharptooth!" He screamed and quickly hid behind the nearest bush.

The reaction made Chomper and Littlefoot laugh in hysterics.

Noticing the laughter, Ret looked up and saw the two culprits who were behind the joke. He left the bush and angrily walked up to them.

"Oh, you two are just a laugh riot, you know that?" He said sarcastically.

The two stopped laughing, but were still smiling. "Sorry about that, but we really had to wake you.." Littlefoot said as his smile faded.

"And why is that?" He asked. He then took a quick look and noticed something. "Hey, where's Ali?" He asked.

"That's why we had to wake you. Her and Ruby are missing." Chomper said.

"What? Ali's missing?" He questioned in fear.

"Yeah, we have to find them. Come on!" Littlefoot ordered as he led the way to gather the rest of the gang so they could find the missing females.

Meanwhile, back at the oasis, the girls were relaxing within the hot water. Ruby was submerged up to her chest and was nibbling on one of the pear shaped fruits. Ducky was sitting at the edge and only having her feet in the water, figuring it was too deep for her and that she didn't feel like dunking into the hot water. However, she did get a little inventive with one of the fruits. She had taken one of the hollow weeds that was around and jammed it into one of the fruits, allowing her to slurp up the juices within.

Cera had only half her body in the water. She had also put one of the big leaves on her head and so that it covered her eyes from the bright sun. Ali though, she really got into the hot water and had put her whole body, even her long slender neck, up to her head into the boiling liquid. She was probably the most relaxed out of them all, and she was the one who needed it the most.

Cera noticed just how relaxed she was. "So, you enjoying yourself?" She asked.

Ali sighed. "Oh yes, Cera. This was a great idea."

Ducky slurped up some more of the juice inside the fruit before speaking. "Yes Cera, this idea was wonderful, it is, it is!" She agreed and went back to enjoying her drink.

Ruby took another bite of the fruit then spoke. "This was the greatest idea out of great ideas that you ever had, Cera." She said in agreement.

Cera smiled. She liked seeing how much her friends were enjoying themselves. "I'm glad you girls are having a good time. Especially you Ali, what with your boy problems and all." She said as she rolled her eyes.

Ali sighed as she tilted back her head to look at the sky. "I just wish I could set things right. Both of them are really upset now. They didn't want to sleep anywhere near me last night. Not that I don't mind, but it would've been nice if one of them kept me warm. It was freezing last night." She complained.

The two females were silent for a bit before Cera spoke. "Hey, Ali..."

"Yeah?" The female longneck questioned.

"After your herd returns and picks you up, how long will it be before you return?" She asked.

At this point, she brought her neck out of the water. "To be honest, I don't know." She looked away sadly.

"You don't know?"

"It could be a while. Maybe until I am all grown up." She then bowed her head in deeper sadness. "Or maybe never."

This stopped whatever activity the other females were doing, especially making Cera crane her neck at Ali and so the leaf on her face fell off and into the hot water, as they looked at Ali with shock.

"What? What do you mean 'never'?" Cera questioned.

"Old One's health is wearing. Few of the herd can tell, but me and my Mom have noticed." She confessed. She took a deep breath before continuing. "If I know Old One, she'll want to retire from her leader position when the time comes and will want the herd to settle down where they can be safe." She let out a sigh. "I just don't know where that's going to be."

"So these days that we have together could be the last days we have together?" Ruby asked.

She nodded in sadness. "Yeah." She practically whispered the next part. "And when I found out how I felt, I couldn't bear to tell Littlefoot."

Cera heard and she then looked rudely at the longneck. "You have to tell him!" She said as if it were a command.

"But I can't! It would only make him feel worse."

"Come on, Ali! He's your friend, and you care about how he feels, right?" Ali nodded. "Then how do you think he would feel if you didn't tell him? What do you think he would feel about you personally?"

"But, I don't want to hurt him." She begged.

"You're going to hurt him either way, Ali. At least before you go, do what you know is right." Cera said as she got out of the spring to search for another of the big leaves since the one she had was now soaked and emerged in the water.

The others got out as well to do their own little thing. This left Ali alone in the hot water to think over her dilemma.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot, Chomper and Ret had all arrived at the nest of Ducky and Spike and found Spike without Ducky. Littlefoot was finding this really strange and confusing.

"Where's Ducky?" Chomper asked.

"I don't know. Her and Spike are usually never apart." Littlefoot answered.

Spike whined, missing his big sister.

"Don't worry Spike, we'll find her." He reassured the spiketail.

Ret just kept quiet. He was silently spacing out away from them. At this point, a part of Ret felt it was his fault for Ali to go missing like this.

Littlefoot walked up to him. "Don't worry," he began, getting Ret's attention. "We'll find her." he reassured.

"Yeah, sure!" He said sorrowfully.

At this point they heard the sound of flapping. They looked skyward to see Petrie coming towards them.

"Hey, Petrie!" Littlefoot said as he saw the little flyer land and take a breather. "Well?"

"Cera no at her nesting place either!" Petrie informed.

This got them all concerned. "All right! This is really weird." He then turned to Chomper. "Chomper, sniff them out! We gotta find them." He said.

The tiny sharptooth obeyed and sniffed around. It wasn't long before he caught the scent of the females. "I found them!" He said.

Chomper led the way, the rest of the males following. They hoped they would find them soon.

---End Chapter 11---  
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Uh-oh! Looks like the boys just might ruin their fun. Will they? Maybe.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed that.

Please review!

See ya later!


	13. The Decision

Updating this had completely slipped my mind. Sorry!

Here's the next chapter.

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**Chapter 12**

**The Decision**

The girls continued to enjoy the oasis they were privately staying at. Cera had found another of the giant palm leaves and had it covering her face while she was submerged up to her chest in the hot water. Ducky had secluded herself to the shade of a tree while sipping through a hollow weed to get to the juices within the treesweet she had jammed it into. Ruby had rejoined Cera in the hot spring, submerged up to her shoulders. She had sat on one of the vents where the hot water mainly came from. It felt so wonderful upon her rump.

However, Ali was not enjoying the hotspring. She had gone to a random spot where she could be supposedly alone and think. She had taken Cera's words to heart. Deep down, she knew it wasn't right to keep her secret from Littlefoot. Still, how could she tell him that she might not ever return? She was in love with Littlefoot. Telling him this would be like telling him that they could never be together no matter how much they wanted to be.

Also, telling him this sort of thing would be like saying she was choosing Ret over him. Then again, she loved Ret as well. He helped her during the time she missed her friends. There was no doubt that he showed that he cared about her. Especially as of late with how he helped her when she was unable to use her legs. He even gave up his old ways of lying and wrongful doings just so he could be, not only a better friend, but a better individual, and it was all for her.

It was indeed sweet, but what more was there out of him? After all, he did leave her to defend for herself when Chomper pretend-attacked her. Under normal circumstances, she would be dead long before he arrived with help. Then again, he had changed since then. He wasn't the same longneck he once was. Maybe he would make a different choice then the one that he did.

Without any kind of confirmation, it was difficult for her to make any kind of choice at all. Even the one where she could wait to make the choice decision. If anything, it would take something major that fate itself would decide.

Back with the boys, they were still busy tracking them. The trail of Cera led them all over the valley. They started at Ducky's nest, then went to the cave where Ruby and Chomper were sleeping, and then across a stream, where they suddenly lost the trail, but soon picked it up again. Finally, they ended up back at Littlefoot's nest. However, they found the scent of all the girls right there, confirming that they were at least together.

At this point, they had followed the trail to the edge of The Great Valley. Right now, Littlefoot had grown worried, thinking the girls had adventured into The Mysterious Beyond. He just hoped he was wrong. Otherwise, there was no telling what danger they could be in.

Spike had grown increasingly worried for his Big Sister. There was hardly a time when the two weren't together. Even if there were times she wasn't on his back, she was always close by. Even with his friends around him, not having her felt almost lonely. He had to find her because he felt nothing without her.

Chomper was the one leading them. After all, he was the only one who could track the girls. His nose was rather powerful at finding the scent he was searching for. If he wasn't such a good friend with leafeaters, he would make a very powerful predator even at this point in his life.

Petrie was up in the air, scouting ahead. His job at this point was to ensure there was no danger up ahead. He too was worried about the girls, especially one girl in particular. They were friends for so long that it was natural for him to be worried about her, but why would he care so much for one more than all of his other friends? It didn't matter to him at this point, he just knew that they had to find the girls.

Ret was the one in the back of the group instead of the usual one being that of Spike. It seemed natural to Ret though. He wanted to be isolated a bit so he could be alone with his thoughts. He was indeed worried for Ali. Why wouldn't he be? She was his friend after all, but the recent events had plagued his mind. How could they not? The fact that Ali was in love with both him and Littlefoot terrified the longneck. It meant that she might choose Littlefoot after everything was said and done. It was the greatest possibility after all.

If one looked at everything and based what fate would bestow upon the amount of love and friendship others had, then it was likely that Littlefoot and Ali would be together in the end, and that he would be alone. Ret didn't like the idea of being alone after all he had done to get Ali to admire him. He only lied in the first place because he had fallen under her spell.

How could no longneck fall for one as beautiful to him as Ali? Her slender neck, her silky legs, her stunning lips, her perfect nose... However, it was those eyes of hers that lured him in. They seemed to have a hypnotic effect upon him. He'd melt into putty upon her command if she wanted him to. She was perfection to him.

Yet, he wondered how she could be so forgiving, especially with the incident of the last time they were in The Great Valley. After all, he did leave her to defend for herself when Chomper pretend-attacked her. He hardly thought about his decision to just run off like that. However, as he looked at it all now, he knew he was stupid to do what he did. He wasn't brave to take on sharpteeth, like he said he was with his stories, but he didn't even consider the safety of his friend. He just left her to be sharptooth food. It broke his heart in a way that it would never mend. The fact that, under real circumstances, his actions would've killed her. It killed him knowing that he would've killed her in the end.

The males, including Petrie who had landed on Spike, soon found a cave and Chomper soon found something. "They went into this cave." He said, catching the scent of the girls from within the cave.

Hearing this, Littlefoot got suspicious. "Okay! Let's go!" He commanded and took over the lead as the rest followed behind him.

Back with the girls, Ruby had decided to get out of the hot spring as it was definitely getting too hot in there and had joined Ducky, who was still within the shade under the same palm tree she had been relaxing at. Ducky had just finished off the latest tree sweet and was now sleeping off her tasty meal.

Ducky was having a strange dream at this moment right now. In her dream, she wasn't a swimmer, but a flyer. In fact, she was the same flyer-species as her friend Petrie was. She had the same beak, but it had a yellowish-green hue to it. She also retained the same green colored skin she has always had. She could feel her wings catching the draft and making her soar through the sky. It was an amazing feeling to fly through the air like this. A part of her wondered if this was what it felt like every time Petrie flew the sky.

She looked to her side with her blue eyes and saw her friend, Petrie flying next to her. Both of them being up in the air like this seemed to make her happy. It also seemed to make her heart swell with this wonderful feeling that she couldn't think of a happier moment in her life.

Her eyes then shifted downward and what she saw shocked her. Everyone in the valley was glaring up at them angrily. From her friends to ones she had never met. From old acquaintances to newcomers. From complete strangers to her well known family. Every last one of them were mad at them for a reason she could not understand.

Her eyes then fell upon her mother. The adult swimmer was casually tossing a small stone up and down in her hand while looking up angrily at them. Suddenly, she threw the rock towards them. The pebble started to get bigger and bigger as it came towards them. It was soon the size of a boulder as it came upon them. It was big enough to shatter all of their bones.

As the boulder came crashing upon the duo, Ducky awoke from her dream. She breathed heavily, wondering exactly what her strange and unusual dream meant.

Ali though was still in deep thought. She had concluded to herself that telling Littlefoot about her departure was the right thing to do. Yet, she couldn't figure out how to tell him. If she told him about it all the wrong way, he would probably believe that she was choosing Ret over him and that was the last thing she wanted him to believe at this point. It was the one thing she could not contemplate.

At this point, Cera walked up to her. "So," she began, getting Ali's attention, "have you decided yet?"

Ali nodded to her. "Yes. I will tell him the truth."

"Well, that's probably the best decision you've ever made today."

"But... I don't know how."

Cera gave her a confused look. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's not that simple, Cera. I have yet to choose between them. I don't want to make it sound like I'm choosing one over the other, because I'm not. Not yet at least."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Ugh! You're only making it more complicated than it needs to be. Look, just tell Littlefoot the truth and he'll understand, I promise!"

"Tell me what?" A voice said.

The two of them were shocked by the voice and turned towards the source to find all 5 of the boys looking at them. The other two girls looked upon the guys as well and they all knew...

They were in trouble.

-End Chapter 12-  
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Uh-oh! What will happen now?

Will have the next one up soon.

See ya later!


	14. The End of the Search

Here it is, the latest chapter I have completed thus far. Hope you all enjoy!

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**Chapter 13**

**The End of the Search**

While this was all happening, the herd that was assembled by The Counselors of the Great Valley had now arrived deep within Sharptooth Territory. So far, the vast number of dinosaurs, that being of forty or so, had made the sharpteeth cautious. Some, however, were quite skilled and knew of a trick or two to getting at least one of the herd. Killing them without notice until it was too late. Just one of the members of the herd was big enough to feed a small Sharptooth Family.

Despite the fact that it seemed safe at this point, the herd was on high alert. Some were elderly and not in the best of shape to put up a good fight. They may be among the first that a sharptooth would go after. On top of this, Ali did warn them that some of the sharpteeth were quite skilled, having been known to take out ones that were both healthy and strong thanks to clever hunting tactics. With such deadly foes, the herd had to be on their guard.

Pat was the one chosen to lead the herd. He didn't think of himself much as a leader, but he gladly took the position. He had smartly sent a number of flyers to scout ahead, not just to find the herd they were searching for, but also to look for incoming danger. He also had the flyers search in rotation as to not get too tired and be ready to attack if sharpteeth came after them.

Unknown to the herd, a sharptooth herd of nearly fifty fastbiters were watching them. They had been watching the herd that had entered their territory for a few days now. They were waiting for the perfect moment. They knew that if they attacked at just the right moment and used the correct tactic, they could take out every single one of the herd and enjoy a nice feast.

It may've been seen as a deadly move, but the fastbiters were known among sharpteeth to be the most daring, possibly suicidal and most successful of all fastbiter herds. None knew how they were so good at hunting for such a large family, and yet, they rarely ever starved. Once a leafeater was caught in their trap, not even a miracle would save them. At least, that is what was believed.

Truthfully, there was one herd that had been known to escape and defeat them constantly for one reason or another. They guessed that the herd at hand was well-trained. Still, that would not account for the fact that they could not get near any of the children with that migrating herd that came along every so often. Still, they knew that the leader of that herd was coming to their end. To at least get that one would be a triumph to them.

The leader of the fastbiter herd looked on. He may've lost his one good eye in a fight for the right of his position, and as a result had a scar there, but he was quite the formidable hunter. He alone formed all of the carefully planned hunting tactics. Hardly any failed. His herd was strong and he knew that today the herd would feast upon those roaming through their area.

He had carefully studied the herd and noted just how cautious they were. He knew of the number of flyers scouting ahead. He knew of the strength that the mixed herd of dinosaurs would present and how much of a challenge it would be. However, he noted one key thing about the leader of the mix herd.

He saw that the longneck was smart and well skilled, despite his age. However, he noticed that one of the back feet had been badly burned quite some time ago. Indeed, it looked like it fully healed, but even he knew that an injury such as that can have permanent side effects. He could tell that, even after all that time, the old longneck was still limping. It was the perfect area to hit that one first.

He had studied the members of the herd and knew all their weaknesses. How they all moved. He wasn't fully sure how the herd would react and whom would be protected by another, but he figured a good number would be protected by the leader. That is how most large herds fought, and even those mighty tactics failed before this mighty fastbiter herd.

There was only one key component that could possibly make them lose. However, it was the most vital for them as well. That was timing. The herd could plan their movements to the smallest part of a second. These key plans are what made them so formidable. They had it all down to an exact science. It was nearly impossible for them to fail with this herd.

He then noticed that the key point to attack was nearly at hand. It was only a small window of opportunity, but it was all they needed.

The flyers came down and got ready to report that there was nothing, but before they could send out the next batch, which was currently getting ready to take off to let the others rest, the fastbiter herd made their move. They came straight towards Pat. The old longneck saw them and was ready to strike back.

He swung his tail at what he believed to be the right moment, but the fastbiters stopped short. They only felt the wind of the strong attack. They knew he was powerful from the attack, but with their plan, it hardly mattered. The fastbiters moved right after the tail missed and went for the legs, striking him deeply with their claws, the deepest of all being at Pat's back bad leg.

Pat wailed in great pain as he felt the claws dig into his legs, making his large weight topple over. Pat turned towards the fastbiters and noted how one of them had blood dripping off its claw, which said fastbiter tauntingly licked up, savoring the flavor.

Pat gritted his teeth, figuring the fastbiters got lucky. It was sad he didn't know the truth. He'd be lucky to notice before his own doom.

While this was happening, a number of fastbiters went for a threehorn within the group. He tried ramming them, but the fastbiters were quick and dodged the on-coming attack. They then made an impossibly fast move and slashed at him at the side of the midsection. The threehorn gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply. He turned towards the area where the injury was and noted that it was barely bleeding and would heal in time, but it would leave quite the mark for a few days.

The flyers swooped down to try and back up the predators into other healthy attackers. However, the fastbiters were able to pinpoint the exact moment and struck the wings. They quickly ended up injured enough that they would be lucky to fly away before the fastbiters made the finishing blow.

The fastbiter leader had yet to involve himself in the fight. They were only injuring each member of the herd enough so they wouldn't escape. After they were all down, only then would he step-in to deliver the final blow to every member of the herd, and then they would have a nice feast that would last them for days.

The leader quickly noted a few spiketails falling. Those were hardly a match for them. Every spiketail they met ended as their meal. They never failed against those.

The threehorn from earlier didn't last much longer and soon fell. They were usually more formidable, but they too didn't last that long. It seemed they would soon add yet another threehorn skull to their collection.

Swimmers didn't fare much better. At best, they were able to deliver a few punches, but the fastbiter leader knew those were only decoys and grinned when he saw the real ones strike quickly and take them down in only a few slashes to the body. Ducky's father, who had joined the herd to help find the longneck herd, collapsed soon and closed his eyes, fearing to never see his children or his mate ever again.

The clubtails didn't last much longer than the spiketails. The boppers on their tails, which they were so proud of, weren't of much help. These weren't just defeated, but greatly humiliated.

Soon, all of the members of the leafeater herd were down. A number of the fastbiters let out a roar, signaling the time for the final blow. The leader of the herd came forward and approached the old longneck.

Pat looked upon the fastbiter that was approaching and noted the battle scars upon him. He even noticed the missing eye, probably figuring that this one was the leader of the herd. He couldn't figure out how they pulled it off. Their herd should've been good enough to hold off a group of this size. A part of him wondered if they were one of herds they were warned about.

The fastbiter leader came up to the slender neck and drew his claw back, ready to stab it deep in there and rupture the windpipe within. Suddenly, a large tail struck the leader, knocking him away. The fastbiters looked on as they saw the longneck that had come to the rescue.

Pat looked up and noted the adult longneck that had saved his life. It wasn't long before nearly one hundred other adult longnecks joined her. The all stood at the ready, prepared to take on the formidable predators that were in front of them.

The leader that was struck got up and noted the new herd that had appeared. He then saw one longneck he knew all too well. It was the leader of the herd that had always eluded them. He was determined that they would not escape him this time. He got up and let out a roar, which ordered the others to attack the new herd, which they obeyed.

The fastbiters made the first move, aiming for the legs of the leader like before. The leader of the longneck herd, Old One, ran towards them. This seemed like the most desperate move, but desperate times called for desperate measures. At the last second, she slid across the ground and twisted her body in a 360, thus extending her tail and striking the pursuing predators halfway through the spin. Upon completion, she was facing the rest of the predators and snarling threateningly at them.

Not being the least bit intimidated, the fastbiter leader let out a hiss, which was the order to continue the attack. Listening, the predators continued their attack and immediately ran past the leader, deciding to attack the rest of the herd.

Having learned the advanced survival tactics from Old One, the new herd was more than a match for the sharpteeth. The new herd easily brought back the fastbiters. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, the fastbiters continued.

Suddenly, without warning a screech was heard. Turning towards it, the fastbiters noticed that Old One had the tail of the fastbiter leader with one of her large front feet and was threatening to crush him with the other. She then turned towards the rest of the fastbiters.

"Leave us, and that herd alone," She began, gesturing towards the mix herd the predators attacked earlier, "and we will spare your leader."

The rest of the herd stopped, not wanting to risk the life of their leader. The leader let out a bunch of caws, telling them to not surrender and that the old longneck was bluffing, which was true, but the predators really didn't know that. Not wanting to risk it, the group retreated, leaving their leader behind.

Seeing this, Old One smiled and let go of the fastbiter. "You are free to go." She said, sternly.

With that, the fastbiter took off, planning to give his herd a good beating tonight. Not long after that, and seeing the fastbiter leader disappear in the distance, Old One let out a sigh of relief. In truth, she could never bring herself to purposely murder another creature. She rarely actually killed another, and those times she did were only accidental. She felt that life was precious and thus could never kill another. At most, she only drove away a predator and had them live so they could hunt someone else another day.

She then turned towards the old male longneck. "Is everyone alright?" She asked.

Turning, Pat looked at everyone. They were all injured in one way or another, but otherwise fine. "Looks like everyone will survive, Miss." He said. He then let out a smile. "You arrived just in time."

She smiled back. "We were glad to be of assistance," her smile then disappeared. "But we must be on our way. We are looking for members of our herd that were separated from us." She said. She then decided it was best to ask the mix herd. "Have any of you seen any longneck children in your travels?" She questioned.

Peaked with interest, Pat struggled to get up, succeeding in doing so. "Yes, we did. Do the two children of such happen to be named 'Ali' and 'Ret'?" He asked.

At this point, a younger adult female approached him. "Ali? You found Ali? Where is she?" She asked in great worry.

Pat smiled. "Don't worry, young miss. Your daughter is safe in The Great Valley."

Ali's Mother let out a sigh of relief. She knew her daughter would be safe there and had friends who would take care of her while she waited. "Thank goodness!" She said. "But how did you know she was my daughter?"

Pat's smile only widened. "Only a mother would worry as much as you did about their child."

Ali's mother only smiled back. She did care about her daughter. There'd be no other explanation for her reaction.

Old One turned to her herd. "Everyone, we are going to The Great Valley." She then turned towards the mixed herd. "And we are going to help them get there." She concluded.

It took some work, but they soon were able to help them up and assist them back on the long journey home. Soon, they would retrieve their lost ones.

-End Chapter 13-  
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So yeah, the herd is now headed towards The Great Valley, meaning it won't be too much longer until this story ends.

Still, please review.

See ya later!


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